The Orphanage
by darkhooded-angel
Summary: Kurogane's new job at the orphanage gives him information about the mage, more than Fai would ever allow. Friendship kurofai
1. Chapter 1

1.

Kurogane hates the manjuu, not only because the manjuu lands them in the most attention-grabbing, indemnifying method, but also because the manjuu landed them in a peaceful world with no need of soldiers, and therefore, no job for Kurogane. Nevertheless, the mage did not take this as his excuse to be jobless. Especially not after the manjuu said there are three feathers coming from different directions, meaning they would stay at this world for a longer time. After a whole day of looking through job-wanted posters and walking around the city looking for job openings, Fai got a job as a waiter in a restaurant, and none for him. He finds it so unfair that the mage allows the kid to be jobless, since _'It is Syaoran's job to find Sakura-chan's feathers."_, but demands that he get a job, because _'It is a father's responsibility to feed his family.' _Since when did he even become a father?

Therefore, they searched everywhere, and eventually ended up in a job that desperately needs someone urgently as desperately as Kurogane needs to find a job so the mage would stop whining on him. He was so desperate that the moment he saw a job opening, he got in it the fastest he could. Nope, he did not notice the postal address outside the building saying it is an orphanage; he did not even notice how grim the place looked like. In an instant, the mighty soldier is reduced to taking care of brats. It is not that he minds orphans, but he definitely minds taking care of orphans, or taking care of _children_, in general. He is now reluctant to continue the job, as reluctant as the head of the orphanage is to accept him, but since both desperately need each other, the parties agree. Currently, he is trying to convince himself that he can put up with this, as long as they find the three feathers fast, while the head of the orphanage leads him to meet the children.

"You know, I must admit that I was reluctant to admit you, but now that I reflect on it, you must be sent to me by heaven." The owner, Louie, told him as they walk through the long corridor of the orphanage, probably to ease his own awkwardness at the silence. He is a mellow, middle-aged man, with a voice meant to lull a kid to sleep. "You see, the kids can get rowdy, and we need some sort of disciplinarian to get things flowing right. I can guess you are that sort of person, huh?"

"Yeah." Kurogane muttered. He sure is going to beat up any brat who dares go against him.

"They're not all that rowdy, but we have some problems with bullying. Oh, here, this is the dining hall." Louie points to a big room, containing a long, long table and many, many small chairs fit for ten year olds. There are two teenage girls, probably around Sakura's age, wiping the tables, whose blue and pink paints are peeling. A woman is fixing the plastic chairs and sweeping the floor. The floor is dull and dirty, and badly needs fixing.

"Our place isn't the best place, but we do try our best to give the children what they need. Government support and donations have not been pouring in as much as we need it, so we are trying to stretch things out. Therefore, we do not take in new caretakers. There were only three caretakers: me, Angel, the one you saw sweeping in the dining room, and Henry. Unfortunately, Henry died last month. He was old, God bless his soul, and maybe he did need to rest already. You will be filling in his roles in this orphanage. He used to be the one to weed the garden, fix the busted lights … well, the technical stuff… and help the kids fall asleep, so you will have to stay a bit late. Oh, here, this is the hall." Louie stopped and pointed Kurogane to a door. Kurogane pushed

The hall is spacious, and it functions as both the children's living room and the orphanage's lobby. In the side of the room is a counter, a table and an old computer. There is a shabby sofa in the middle of the hall, with two smaller, tattered chairs on each side and beanbags scattered on the floor, where the thirteen children sat, talking, arguing, and playing amongst themselves. The rag under the chairs showed its years. When the door opened, the children turned to look, and stop dead in their tracks when they saw a frowning man walking beside their mellow head caretaker.

"Good afternoon kids! This is Mr. Kurogane, and starting tomorrow, he will be joining us." With this last sentence, there seemed to be a commotion, which everyone held in as they noticed the man's look swept pass them. In an awkward silence that followed, Louie proceeded to introduce each child; _each brat_, as Kurogane puts in his mind.

Kurogane tries to remember the kids' names, as respect if not for long-term purposes, since he knew that he could not memorize all the brats' names today anyway. The toddlers are Mark, Jane, and Audrey; the young brats – around 4 to 6 – are George, Cedric, Alfred, Denise, Chii, and Ericka; the older brats – around 7 to 10 – are Justine, Jake, Audrey, and Bridgette. La-la-la, yeah, sure, will memorize later but definitely not today.

"Wait. Where are the twins?" Louie asked after he introduced everyone. Another silence hung around them. Louie slapped his hand in his forehead and went out of the hall. "Hey, Angel, have you seen the twins?" His voice, now lower and a bit louder, echoes through the dark halls. There were footsteps that approached the hall, and a timid voice followed, saying no, she did not see the twins, and yes, she will look for them; they are probably in their room or at the study hall.

Louie's head peeped through the doorway. "We'll just look for the twins. Do some bonding with the kids, won't you, Mr. Kurogane?" In an instant, the head is out, and there are footsteps clattering through the corridor's wooden floor.

The kids stared up at Kurogane. Kurogane stared at them. It went on that way, with the awkward silence hanging around them, until a kid spoke up.

"You're not the type of guy to work in an orphanage."

Kurogane turned to look at that kid, and saw that it is an old male brat, with unkempt hair and equally dirty clothes. The older brat had a smirk on his face, one that Kurogane knows from way back to Nihon, seen on the face of a smartass trainee. "No, I'm not, and the more it means that no one should mess with me. What's your name again?"

"Justine." The smirk is gone; now there is only a glare.

"Will you be staying with us?" A young girl brat asked him, and this girl seemed scared at Kurogane. When Kurogane turned his gaze to her, she cowered.

Kurogane tried to make his voice gentler. "Yeah. I'll work, but I won't sleep here. What's your name?"

"I'm Chii."

"You don't remember our names? Louie just introduced us, didn't he?" Justin asked.

'_This brat's asking for it.' _Kurogane could feel his nerves grating. His first impulse was to shout at the kid and punch the smartass out of him, since Fai, that ass of a magician, deemed it safer to keep his sword out of his hands, and the others just had to agree. However, a part of his brain was warning him that no, even though he does not like his job, he has to stay in it; otherwise the mage would have to grate on his nerves. He followed the advice of the latter.

"I don't want to bother pretending that I can memorize thirteen names in one sitting." Kurogane replied. He then remembered what the orphanage's problem was, bullying, and he was so sure that the bully is right in front of him, testing him.

Justine and Kurogane stared at each other, and the silence that enveloped the hall turned from awkward to tense. Finally, the hall's door swung open, and everybody turned to look, including Kurogane.

Never was he more surprised in his entire life. For there in front of him are _two _young brat versions of the mage, both pale and sullen.

Louie introduces the newcomers. "Mr. Kurogane, these are Fai and Yuui. They are somewhat silent, and well, they often hide away in their rooms…"

"Which one among you is Fai?" Kurogane cuts Louie.

The twins look at each other, and then back at Kurogane. Finally, one of them steps in front. "I'm Fai." He said. "And this is Yuui. He's younger than me."

Kurogane tries to differentiate Fai to Yuui, but he really cannot, at least not yet. Both have pale, sickly skin, blonde hair, skinny frames, and eyes so blue they hurt, like the mage's, but of course, because these kids are probably this world's version of Fai, though Fai never mentioned having a twin. _'But of course, stupid.' _He mentally chided himself _'Of course the mage will never say anything.'_

He was still marveling at his newfound discovery on his way home when he saw the mage, still in the waiter outfit, staring at kids playing in the playground. Fai's eyes were a bit shinier and his skin a bit paler than usual. Kurogane followed the mage's eyes and saw identical twins around six years of age, playing catch with a ball bigger than their heads. The ball went back and forth once, twice, until one of the kids threw it too high. The other twin jumped, but it flew over his hands just the same, over the fence, until it landed right in front of the mage and bounced to his face. The mage caught it by instinct.

One of the twins, the one who jumped, ran near the fence and stared at Fai. Fai smiled back, the tug on the corners of his lips looking more relaxed than usual, and went near the kid. The kid beamed at Fai. "Sorry you almost got hit, sir."

"It's fine with me, but be careful the next time, okay?" Fai gave the kid his ball.

"It wasn't me who threw the ball; it was George. I told him to be careful, not to throw the ball too high, but no~, he did not listen and he threw it so high up that even if I jumped I can't catch it." The kid's face scrunched up, shaking his head as he spoke to Fai, and extended his arms in the air when he said _'high.' _Fai giggled at the kid and patted his head.

"All right, all right, tell him to be careful the next time." Fai told the kid.

"Yeah, I definitely will. Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome."

The kid waved his hand to Fai, shouting _'Bye-bye!'_ as he ran back to his twin. Fai waved his hand, gentler than the kid did, wearing a serene smile, both sad and happy. Kurogane knew the smile is genuine, and he wondered at how different Fai looked when he is truly smiling, albeit the smile being both happy and sad.

Fai must have felt that someone was watching him because he turned and had his eyes directly on Kurogane. His eyes widened in surprise, but in a second, he hardened it and forced it to look happy, the one thing he can never managed to do quite right. He tugged his lips harder, his cheeks strained a bit, and waved at Kurogane with forced enthusiasm. "Kuro-pyon~!" His serene face was gone.

Kurogane felt himself glaring at the mage, glaring because he hid behind his mask again. "What do you want?"

"Is Kuro-puppy barking at me?" Fai grinned, poking his cheeks and making funny expression. "Arf, arf!" He continued barking at the sidewalk, both his hands now at the top of his head, waving to make him look like a dog.

Kurogane's eyes narrowed. He stared at the mage and let his thoughts flow. It is probable that this mage had a twin, since this world's Fai had one, and the mage's expression changed a lot when he saw twins playing. He was studying Fai curiously, and saw that the mage already noticed the stare and picked up that he was up for interrogation. The mage continued the stupid antics anyway, probably in the hope that he will not start firing away questions. Wrong. "Do you have a brother?"

Fai stopped in mid-bark, his eye widened. It took him more than five seconds to pull out of his shocked state and tug his cheeks forcefully, but he turned pale and there was a twitch in the corner of his forcefully happy eyes. "Why did Kuro-pyon think of that?"

"It's a simple yes or no question." Kurogane said

"Maa, Kuro-puppy, did you know that good doggies mind their own business?"

Kurogane snorted. "You do, then."

"What if I do? Will it make a difference?" Fai asked.

"Maybe."


	2. Chapter 2

2.

Fai avoided Kurogane since then.

Fai tries to annoy Kurogane on their walk home. The mage is smiling his fake smile, but his eyes are vacant and far-away. Sometimes he pauses in the middle of a sentence, trying to figure out just what idiotic remark he was saying, before remembering and continuing. After five minutes of hearing the mage's distracted chatter, Kurogane stops walking. Fai is still in the middle of a word when he notices that the ninja is not walking by his side. He stops too, and they stare at each other.

"Shut up. You're not making sense anymore."

There was brief silence between them before Fai lowers his head. "Okay."

They did not speak the rest of their walk. Luckily, Syaoran and Sakura are home when they arrive. Fai put on his stupid smile and sang off-key while waltzing with the princess all the way to the kitchen so they can make dinner. Mokona follows them, singing the same song more off-key than Fai did (Kurogane never thought that it was possible to be _worse_ than the mage). Syaoran remains sitting on the sofa, his back hunched as he reads different papers. Kurogane decides not to meddle with a busy kid. He took a nap at the bedroom upstairs – at his and the mage's shared bedroom upstairs – and only went down when Sakura called him for dinner.

The dinner table is set already, and they are only waiting for Kurogane. He sits at the only available seat, which is right in front of Fai. They start eating in silence. Fai would usually chatter about the day and annoy Kurogane while they were eating, but tonight he is just eating. Syaoran keeps stealing glances at Fai. After a while, Mokona looks up at Fai and stares for a while before going back to her food. It was so bad that even the princess notices. "Are you alright, Fai-san?"

Fai looks up at her, surprised. "Yes, Sakura-chan, I'm fine. I'm sorry; I was just thinking. Did you find any information about the feathers?"

Syaoran answers for Sakura. "It seems that this place is not magical at all, and there are no weird occurrences anywhere. We still don't know where to start looking." He shakes his head and looks down his plate.

"Well, I also thought it was really weird. I didn't feel any magic in this place, and it's not in chaos either." Fai says.

"Are you sure you're fine, Fai-san?" Sakura asks. Her eyebrows furrows in distrust. Kurogane smirks at that; it seemed like the princess is not going to let the mage change the topic anytime soon.

"I'm fine, princess, really." Fai's cheek twitches once from pulling too hard too long. It is just a little twitch; one that a naïve princess cannot see, but a trained ninja can. "I'm probably just a little tired from my first day in job, but I'm really fine."

"You work in a café, right, Fai?" Mokona asks.

Fai smiles at her. "Yup! The food there is first-rate and expensive. Very rich people eat there. They give pretty high tips, too; I got more than 50 dollars tip today."

"Wow, that's good pay, Fai-mommy!" Mokona claps her hands together and squeals. She turns to Kurogane. "How about Kuro-daddy? How is your work?"

Kurogane glares at the pork bun. He does not want to remember that he should go back tomorrow to tend to brats. "It's a few blocks away. And stop calling me Kuro-daddy, stupid pork bun. I'm not your freaking father."

"Which block, Kurogane-san? I thought you were having trouble getting a job." The kid asks.

"It's the old musty house." He replies. He stuffs more bread in his mouth, wishing the kids would take it as a hint. They did not; stupid brats.

"What's your job there, Kuro-daddy?" The pork bun asks.

Kurogane lowers his voice, hoping the manjuu will not hear him. "Caretaker."

The manjuu with the long ears heard it, though. "Wow! Kuro-daddy is practicing the art of parenthood! I can't imagine Kuro-pin taking care of kids. Poor kids! Kuro-daddy is so grumpy; the children might be so scared! Oh, and Kuro-daddy might love those children more than us, his real children. Kuro-daddy might be grumpy, but he sure loves us in his own …"

Mokona was not able to finish her sentence. She barely had the time to look at the fallen dining chair before hopping off to escape from a raging ninja. Syaoran is torn between hiding his giggles and convincing the ninja to stop chasing Mokona. After a while, Kurogane catches Mokona and strangles her to half death. Both kids are then seriously trying to stop Kurogane until he let her go. Fai never spoke a word.

After dinner, the mage sends everyone to bed. From the bedroom, Kurogane can hear him fixing the mess they made during their chase. The noise stops, and the clock said 11:30 with no mage at the other bed in their shared bedroom. Kurogane drifts to sleep.

When Kurogane wakes up, Fai is already sitting at a stool in front of the dining table and staring at the fading stars out the window. A kettle is screaming with boiling water, but the mage does not notice and resumes staring. The mage is wearing the far-away look he has been wearing last night during dinner and had a hand tucked under his chin. He did not even notice Kurogane enter the kitchen. Kurogane stared at Fai for a while before the mage even noticed. When he did, Fai stared for a split second before putting on his fake smile. Very slow reflexes for today.

"Good morning, Kuro-pii. What time are you going to work?" Fai asks. His voice is thick.

Kurogane decides to ride along with the mage and not question anything as of the moment. "Six." He replies. He takes the seat in front of the mage.

Fai gets up. "I haven't started making breakfast. You might want to drink coffee or take a bath first. I'm already boiling water." He heads to the kitchen and notices the kettle for the first time. "Oh." He turns it off. The click that the stove made echoed in their silent apartment.

"Tea or coffee?" The mage's silent voice floats from the kitchen.

"Coffee."

Fai gives him a cup of coffee and a sachet of creamer and sugar on the side. Kurogane does not see the mage again until the sun is peaking from the mountains and the manjuu and the kid came down from their room. Fai then serves breakfast – toasted bread, fried eggs and something sweet that Kurogane would never eat – and both of them plus the manjuu eats, since both are going to work and the manjuu just loves to eat. Syaoran waits for the princess so they can eat together. No one really speaks. Fai is still washing the dishes when the ninja decides to go to the orphanage already.

He finds both Louie, Angel, and the teenage girls who were helping Angel yesterday eating breakfast.

"Good morning Mr. Kurogane! Have you eaten breakfast?" Louie greets him. Kurogane nods. Louie looks at him for a while, and then summons him to take the seat in front of Louie. "The children wake up at 8, so I guess you don't really have to report to work this early everyday."

Kurogane nods. He is fine with that.

"Well, if you have eaten breakfast, maybe you'd like to start with your job. There are some busted lights in the children's rooms, but you cannot replace them yet since the kids are still sleeping. Some doors are squeaky, and so is the gate, so maybe you could apply oil in them. The fence around the playground needs some repair, too. There are hammers and nails at the tool shed…"

Angel giggles. Everyone turns to her direction. "Come on, Louie, he just arrived. Maybe you could give him some rest first."

"No, it's fine." Kurogane says as he gets up from the table. "It's better to start work early." He leaves the room while the others continue eating.

The playground surprised him. He knew the orphanage is short of funds, but he did not expect to see a rundown playground as this. There are six swings, but two of them are hanging on only one hinge. The other ones are rusty, they would probably squeak if used. The monkey bar is rusty, too. From a distance, Kurogane can see the splotches of darker shades of the bars' paint; they are rusty and uneven and Kurogane knows that at least one of the kids has a blistered hand. The monkey bar is even missing two bars. There are high grasses on the sides, and it definitely needs mowing. _And what kind of fence is that? _He asks in his mind. The fence is not safe, especially with jagged nails coming out of it. He would not be surprised to know that some brat had cut himself because of those protruding nails.

He approaches the tool shed. The door's hinges are rusty and creaky. Chunks of wood already fell from the door, leaving holes. He opens it and a rusty lawn mower greets him. Kurogane pushes it aside and looks for nails and a hammer. He finds them and decides that the hammer that he asked the manjuu to keep would be much more useful and efficient than the orphanage's stock. Too bad, he did not take nails with him from the last world.

He is leaving the orphanage to get the hammer from the manjuu when he comes across one of the twins in the dark hallway. The twin stares at him. "Hey." He greets the twin. "What are you doing here?"

"Yuui had a nightmare. I'm getting a glass of water." The twin says. Kurogane deduces him as Fai. Fai stares at him for a while before walking to the direction of the dining room. Kurogane has seen that stare. The mage gives that stare whenever he is studying someone else when that someone is not looking.

He gets the hammer from Mokona after he almost strangles her to death again (The manjuu begged him to forgive the kid who pissed him off and not beat the kid with a hammer. He had to teach her a lesson, of course). When he gets back to the orphanage, he finds the twins at the playground. Each occupies a swing. They are talking in hushed voices, and when they see Kurogane, they stop talking completely and just stare at him using the same stare that the mage has.

"It's fine." Kurogane says. "I won't listen to what you're talking about." He starts fixing the fence. For a while, the twins just watched Kurogane. The regular beats of Kurogane's hammer fill the air. Soon, the twins' voices join the hammer. Their voices are airy, just like a certain mage he knows. He cannot decide if he should be amazed or horrified that the kid-version of the mage is so much like him, whichever among the twins is like Fai.

"Hello." A lullaby voice joins. Kurogane recognizes it as Louie's voice. The twins stop talking. Kurogane can hear the tension in the air. He can almost see the twins looking at Louie the same way the Fai child looked at him during their meeting in the hallway. He continues pulling a bent, protruding rusty nail from the fence. Neither twin spoke.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" Louie asks the kids. The twins continue their silence and Kurogane continues pulling the nail. Damn stupid nail, get off. "What were you talking about?" Louie continues asking the twins. Kurogane hears a swing creak; he pictures Louie sitting on a swing beside a twin. He finally pulls the nail out of the fence and reaches to the orphanage's stock of nails.

"Nothing, sir." A twin finally answers. Kurogane rummages through the toolbox to find an acceptable nail. So far, no such nail has shown itself. All the nails are bent and rusty.

"You know, it's alright to talk to me about how you feel. You must be sad about what happened to your parents. Fai, Yuui, you can cry on us, okay? I know that…"

"We're fine, Mr. Louie." A twin cuts Louie. The mage uses that tone when he wants someone to back off.

"Please don't be bothered. We're coping fine." The twin who first answered adds.

There was silence again. Kurogane realizes that somewhere in the conversation, he has stopped looking for a nail. He picks the toolbox up and digs through it. The shuffle he makes is the only noise heard in the playground. Somewhere, a car honks loudly.

"Okay, if you say so." Louie says. Kurogane hears the swing creak again. "Well, breakfast is ready." Kurogane hears other swings creak.

"Mr. Kurogane" Louie calls to him. "Please come inside for a while. I forgot to mention this a while ago, but one of your jobs is waking up the kids. So… Shall we get in?"

Kurogane turns to the swing area and finds Louie standing alone. The twins are already by the doorway, their hands clasped. They look back at Kurogane and Louie once, their stares studying and mistrusting, before entering the dark hallway. Louie is starting his way to the dark hallway, too. Kurogane drops his hammer and follows.

The hallway is dark and empty, each sound bouncing off the walls. Each footstep echoes; each word bounces off the walls. From afar, the twins hold hands and swing them, their muffled words sharp against the hallway's silence.

"I'm not hungry." Says one.

"You'll be hungry later." Kurogane assumes it is the other twin. This voice is deeper and coarser, while the other is lighter and finer.

"I want to sleep. Don't you?" The owner seemed tired, but his voice remains pure, innocent and singsong. Kurogane can imagine the voice singing.

"The sun's up. And you can't sleep anyway. It is best if we eat now, too. Unless…" The other twin replies. This twin is fatigued. Kurogane recognizes him as the one twin he met a while ago – the Fai brat.

The other twin silently concedes. They turn left to the dining hall.

Up ahead is the stairway. Kurogane had been there yesterday, but he did not see who owns which rooms. Louie went up the stairway first. It is dark (Kurogane had not replaced the bulb yet), musty and windowless, and each step produces a squeaky creak from the wood steps. The stairway railing is rusty. Kurogane touches it and it feels uneven; he takes his hands off the railing to see black paint peeling. Louie waits for him at the top of the stairway. When he steps at the solid wood floor of the second floor, Louie turns left to the door nearest the stairs. The solitary light bulb gives off an artificial glow insignificant to the sun's natural rays. Kurogane finds a switch at the wall to his right. He flicks it and the bulb turns off.

"These are the children's rooms. Two or three share in one room." Louie stops for a while, at a loss of anything to say. "So, there. Good luck waking them up." Somehow, that last sentence gives off a warning that Kurogane does not like. He watches Louie creep downstairs, hands on both the railings and the walls. Louie looks like an old man needing assistance to go downstairs. Kurogane does not offer; not after Louie gave him a warning of sorts. He turns to the nearest door and wonders why Louie said that.

He approaches the door and opens it to see three young girl brats – Chii one of them. He pounds on the wall. "Hey, hey, wake up, time for breakfast." He says. No one stirs.

This is going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

Kurogane goes down the stairs with a legion of sleepy kids marching in front of him. The stairs creak with every step, but the children do not seem to be bothered; some do not even hold on to the railings or the walls. He figures they are either used to it, or they are just too sleepy to care. He continues walking behind the children until they reach the dining room. The twins are on their way out by then. They pause to stare at the kids before running past Kurogane and all the way to the stairs. He watches the sleepy kids take their seats at the dining room before turning his back and going to the playground.

It did not take long for the sun to raise the playground's temperature. It did not take a lot for him to get hotheaded, too, and the children who rushed out the playground and are currently playing and creating all sorts of noises (laughing, crying, wailing, teasing, screaming, thumped things on the ground, clinks of metals, and whatever else that he cannot identify) under the heat of the sun is doing him no good, either. Therefore, when a brat trips on his box of nails and scatters them all over the grass, he turns to the brat and glares at him. Punching the brat crossed his mind, but it did not seem like a good thing to punch someone on the first day of work, be that someone a grown-up or a brat.

"Pick all that up." He glares at the brat.

The young brat stared at him for a while, eyes wide and mouth gaping, before nodding slowly and picking up the nails with trembling hands. He sees the brat's shiny eyes and quivering lips and he feels a little sorry. The other brats are quieter after the incident, though, so he does not take the reprimand back. It took around a minute for the brat to finish picking everything up, after which the brat ran back inside.

He was thinking about his _'success' _when he spots two older male brats standing in front of a young female brat. Their hands are on their hips, their shoulders raised and they are leaning forward towards the female brat; all signs of bullying that Kurogane has seen so often in Nihon. Their backs are facing him, but he does not have trouble distinguishing them as Justine and his roommate. They partially block the girl brat from his view, but he can tell from the long blonde hair that the young girl is Chii. Chii is leaning on the wall, her hands forming a tight, defenseless fist.

Kurogane makes his way to the kids. "Hey, what do you think are you doing?" He is two steps close to the bullies when he places his hand on Justine's shoulder.

Justine and Jake (he remembers) turn to his direction. Justine sneers at him. "What do you want, newbie? This is our business, so buzz off and continue with the fence."

Kurogane is speechless for a second. It is not the most smartass answer he ever got, but he does not expect something like that to come from a child. "What did you just say?" He asks out of disbelief, and he sees Justine cringe a bit. Jake visibly cringes and takes a step back. Kurogane leans forward so his face and Justine's face are a few inches apart. "Listen, smartass. No one messes around this orphanage as long as I am here. Newbie or not, I'm staying, so you better not mess with me."

Justine glares at Kurogane and shakes Kurogane's hand off his shoulder. "Why, are you going to punch me?" He raises his face and one of his eyebrows, but Kurogane heard a quiver in his voice. Justine put his hands on his hips, too, after a moment's hesitation. It was a tough-guy act, one for fooling kids and not a ninja.

Kurogane tries his best to hide his amusement, but a smirk still appears in his lips. He puts his hands on his hips, too. "As your punishment, shine the dining room floor."

"What? You think you can order me around?" The brat raised his voice by then (to hide the quivering, Kurogane was thinking), so all the kids in the playground are staring at them. Kurogane sees from the corner of his eyes that Chii and Jake have slowly disengaged themselves from the scene earlier and are now watching Kurogane and Justine together with the crowd.

Kurogane had enough. He gives the brat the deadliest glare he had to offer for the moment. "You don't want to know what other punishments I have in mind, brat. Just do it."

Justine's lips are quivering and his fists are balled and shaking, but he retreats to the dining room nevertheless. The other kids watch as he runs back inside with his head bowed.

"You." Kurogane points to Jake. The children around Jake move away from him, some even leaping out of the way of the imaginary line connecting Kurogane's finger and him.

Jake is standing apart from the kids, his index finger pointing to his chest. "Me?" his voice croaks and wavers. Several of the children around him do the same, but Kurogane maintains the eye contact with him so they remove their pointed fingers from their chests and sigh in relief.

"Yeah, you. You were bullying Chii, too. Help him clean the dining hall." Kurogane says.

Jake did not waste time arguing. He scurries to the orphanage's direction right after Kurogane finishes the sentence. He stumbles once, his head almost hitting the merry-go-round's edge, but he gets up the fastest he can and rushes inside.

Kurogane looks back to the kids who are still in front of him and are still forming a semi-circle. Wide eyes stare back at him, some shiny and others quivering. He stares at the kids for a while, and figures out that scared kids make a fantastic cleaning workforce. Many rooms in the orphanage thorough need cleaning, too.

"All of you." He starts. He sees the children visibly cower. Good. "Form three groups. One group cleans the hallway, the other cleans the rooftop, and the last cleans the lobby."

The children nod and scamper to the orphanage. In a second, he is alone in the orphanage's playground. Smiling a satisfied one to himself, he resumes fixing the playground. He got thirsty after a while (and the sun was getting unbearably hot), so he goes inside to check on the children.

Jake is the first brat Kurogane sees. He is scrubbing the floor with a rug using his feet and speeds up when he saw Kurogane. Even in the relative darkness of the hallway (the only source of light were two broken windows and the door) Kurogane sees the jittery brat break a sweat just by his mere presence. Kurogane smirks to himself. "In that pace, you won't be done by lunchtime." He says. The brat doubles his already fast pace.

He turns to his left and sees Justine peeking at him from the dining room. "Are you done?" He asks.

"No." Justine replies. He reveals himself, and the ninja sees that he is holding a rag in one hand, and a long stick in another. Kurogane assumes the long stick is a mop; the other end of the stick is behind the door. "But I noticed something." The brat adds.

"What?"

"You ordered all of us to clean, didn't you?"

"Yes. So what?"

"You did not order the twins to clean. It's too early to pick out favorites, you know. You just arrived."

Kurogane feels the urge to give the brat another punishment, but decides that the brat did have a point. The receiving area of the second floor needs cleaning, too. "They weren't in the play ground a while ago, but fine, I'll order them to clean their room. You, on the other hand, make sure that the dining room is clean before lunch." Justine glowers but he does go back inside and resume cleaning.

Kurogane checks on the other kids first. The brats were cleaning (and terrified of his presence, that's important) so he is satisfied and goes upstairs. He goes to the twin's bedroom and finds them sprawled on the floor, one reading a book while the other is drawing and coloring with gnawed crayons. "Hey." Both twins turn to him.

"I ordered everyone to clean the orphanage. Both of you should clean the second floor."

The twins look at each other and smile at the same time. "No wonder it's too silent." Fai – raspy voice – says. He chuckles.

"What do you mean by _'second floor'?_ Do we clean all the bedrooms?" Yuui – fine voice – asks the ninja.

"Just clean the area after the stairs, floor, cabinet, window… the lobby, not all the rooms." He replies.

"Okay." Fai gets up. Yuui frowns a bit, but stands when he sees Fai has done the same. The twins stand next to each other, staring at Kurogane. "Well? Are you going to watch us clean?" Yuui asks.

Kurogane raises his eyebrow. "How are you supposed to clean? You don't have rags or brooms."

Fai shrugs. "We'll look for them downstairs."

Kurogane rolls his eyes. _Duh_. He turns his back to the twins. His eyes gaze through the area until it went up the ceiling and the busted bulb and he remembers that he was supposed to change it. He was on the staircase to look for Louie when he met Louie going upstairs.

"Oh, Mr. Kurogane, you're here. Why are the children cleaning?" Louie asks. His eyebrows knot and he is wearing a small frown.

"They were too noisy in the playground a while ago."

"It is a child's right to play." Louie's frown deepens.

"A child should also learn responsibility and discipline. They can play afterwards." _When I am not working on the playground._

"You have a point, but they have to study in the afternoon, so I usually allow them to play in the mornings." Louie sighs. "I guess it is fine, though. We do need disciplinarians around."

Kurogane nods. After a brief silence, he asks where the bulbs are. Louie points to the cabinet beside the only window in the receiving area of second floor. Kurogane changes the busted bulbs in the second floor – the receiving area first, before the children's room. When he gets back to the receiving area, only one of the twins is dusting the books. The other twin is leaning on the opposite wall, playing with his fingers.

"Hey. Why are you just standing there?" He asks the idle twin.

The idle twin looks up to him, bites his lip then resumes cleaning his fingernails via grinding one against the other. He was about to reprimand the twin from being so damn lazy (like the mage, God, the mage would leave him with all the chores except cooking, so he is not surprised that this world's counterpart or his twin, or maybe both, is just as lazy as the mage is) when the other twin interrupted him.

"Fai has asthma. He can't clean or dust." Yuui – fine voice and his common sense tells him – pauses from removing a book to turn and tell Kurogane.

"Oh." Kurogane had to stop and think at that one. The mage definitely does not have asthma, but he guesses thathis counterpart does not have to be exactly like him.

"It's alright, Mister. I will be the one to shine the floors, so I will still clean later." Fai smiles at him.

"Okay. Hurry up so you can eat on time." Kurogane says. He goes downstairs and changes the light bulb in the hallway. There was still time before lunch, so he decides to continue working with the fence. However, it was too hot by then, so he decides to leave it for the afternoon. Louie promised that the children would be studying by then anyway, so he expects no distraction. When he goes inside the hallway, he sees Justine sitting on the floor and leaning on the dining room's doorframe. Justine saw him, but the brat does not even move. The brat does not even look away, only resuming looking at him as if the brat did not defy his orders.

"Are you done?" He asks the brat. There was some annoyance that crept into his voice, and he did not bother hide it.

Justine rolls his eyes. "No." He throws the rag he was holding over his shoulder and it lands on the dining room floor. From behind him, Jake sees the ninja and hurries up cleaning.

"Then why are you lagging behind? Stand up and work."

Justine frowns, but he stands up and gets the rag anyway. He does not have any choice; Kurogane would make sure to that. However, before he kneels to shine the floor, he turns to Kurogane. "Have you given the twins a place to work on?" He asks.

Kurogane had to count to ten slowly so he can answer the brat calmly. "Yes, I did." Ten is not enough to calm his nerves, maybe twenty would do. "Now finish your damn work or you won't have lunch." Even then, he had to close his eyes and purse his lips while speaking so he would not shout.

"Nobody's having lunch until we finish cleaning anyway." Justine murmurs and his frown gets deeper. He starts scrubbing the floor.

"They definitely will and you won't if you won't stop irritating the hell out of me and finish cleaning."

Kurogane leaves and checks on the other kids. No one has finished yet, but he decides to let all the brats off the hook. Louie insists that the kids should not skip a meal, and he agrees. They should not be punished; the punishment goes for only Justine and Jake, but even then, Louie tells him that the brats/bullies should not skip a meal either, so he is forced to make them leave their punishment for a later time. Justine smirks at him, but he glares back at the brat and it shut the brat up.

He is about to go to the second floor to call the twins for lunch when he sees them going down the stairs, their hands grasping as if they were afraid they would fall. It took the twins around ten seconds to descend the stairs, and when they did, he can clearly differentiate the two. Fai goes down the stairs first, pale and his steps halting and unsure. He is gripping the railings and he seems like he would fall if he would not. Behind him is Yuui whose steps are sure but restless, his right hand behind Fai's back while the other held Fai's free hand. He is pale but not sickly; the paleness is probably coming from distress and not illness.

Kurogane walks briskly towards the twins. "What happened? Did he get an asthma attack?"

Fai is still listless and shaking, so Yuui is the one who answers. "No, just tired." Yuui says. The twins walk past Kurogane towards the dining room.

He follows the twins to the dining room, and there they meet Justine, leaning on the dining room's doorframe and his arms crossed. His smirk is back. "Are you done with your chores, twins?"

Fai does not respond. He keeps his head lowered, and even if he is a few steps afar, Kurogane can hear his whistling breath. Yuui is far from sick, though. "Yes. I heard you're not, though."

Justine glowers. "Shut up, squirt. You can't possibly be done. You just started less than an hour ago, and there is just you and that stupid sick twin. Liar."

Yuui glares at him. "Why don't you check the second floor out?"

Justine stares at him for a while before jogging towards the stairs. He runs up the stairs two steps at a time, before pausing at the third step from the top. He stays there for three seconds before sprinting back down, this time faster than he went up. He almost trips once. When he reaches the dining room doorway, his eyes are wild and, Kurogane thought, _scared._

"Saw it?" Yuui asks him.

Justine gawks at them before going to the dining room, but Kurogane heard one word he muttered – _demons_. He takes the seat farthest from the door.

From the corner of his eyes, Kurogane can see Fai jerk his head to Yuui. Yuui does not move, though. He continues standing there before deciding that he and Fai could get the seats farthest from Justine. They take the seats nearest the door.

Kurogane goes up the stairs, too, to check out whatever Justine saw that made the brat freak out. As much as he does not want to, he is convinced that the brat's previous act is not just bullying. The brat's eyes are too scared to be bullying or trying to intimidate. He does not have to go right at the top of the stairs to find out. He stopped at the exact step Justine paused at a while ago.

The place seems normal enough. The floorboards are shiny and books are neatly lined in the bookshelf without the dust that used to gather by their tops and bottoms, and the lone window is clear. Even the musty smell hanging over the place is gone. The place is better than what it was a while ago when he was changing the bulbs a while ago, but the brat had a point. The task is done too fast for a small and thin four to six year old brat with only the minimal help an asthmatic twin could give.

Besides, he can feel something in the air; something similar to what he felt whenever his mother prayed or blessed his father before his father goes to a war. He feels it during this journey, too, when the manjuu transports them to another place or the witch talks to them via the manjuu. He feels it whenever the mage is around too, albeit faintly; but there was this one night when Sakura got a high fever, threw up everything she ate and refused to eat anything, and the mage thought everybody is already asleep. The mage's hand glowed blue, the prickling sensation at his back and nape was so intense, and he saw from the corner of his eyes that the mage wrote something in the air that he cannot understand. The princess is not well the next morning, but she had a humongous appetite that eventually helped her gain strength. She got well in the afternoon. _Magic._

He goes back downstairs. He passes by the dining room and sees the twins, both toying with their food and wearing nonchalant faces. He stares at the kids and think for a while. The twins are edgy and introverted, he reflects, but they seem harmless, sometimes even vulnerable because of their thin frames. But then again, he remembers the skinny mage, his stupid antics, his disgusting _cuteness_ act and his concealed magic and suddenly the twins are not as harmless as they seemed a while ago. The mage is an adult already, so he may have the cynicism only an adult has, but why would _children _hide their magic? He had to pause and massage the bridge of his nose to ease a headache he knew was coming. Too much thinking is never his forte. He decides to let the analysis past, but the newfound knowledge sure confirms something about this world – this world is magical, whatever perception both the mage and the manjuu had.

He resumes with his job – oiling the squeaking hinges, going to the grocery store (Louie sent him after the kids had lunch), looking after the kids during their quiz when Angel had to do something else (where they almost trembled in fear when they found out, and had remained silent throughout their quiz). The brats are _home-schooled_ in a way, Louie explains to him later when he was eating snacks before leaving. Angel has a certificate that makes her a teacher, he adds, so their home schooling counts as a legal and adequate.

Louie left him off to eat alone – the head caretaker says that he will help Angel with the kids, and gives Kurogane the permission to go home early today, since Angel decided to take over in taking the children to sleep – when he saw the twins' heads peeping from the doorframe.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" He sips tea from the cup. He keeps his back to the twins, looking only by the corner of his eyes.

"We're hungry." Yuui – fine voice – says. He eyes the whole room and sees the bread Kurogane is eating. He approaches Kurogane. Fai keeps himself hidden, though, with only the upper half of his face is visible.

"It's your study time. Go back upstairs." Kurogane turns to the twins.

"We're done with what Ms. Angel was asking us to do, so we're free to go." Fai says from the doorway.

Yuui has already taken the seat in front of Kurogane and is kneeling on the chair and leaning on the table to see his plate better. "Fai, look! The new caretaker has really delicious bread with him!" Yuui exclaims.

Fai takes the seat next to Yuui and peeks at the bread on Kurogane's plate. His nose scrunches as he realizes what the bread is. "Is that a cinnamon roll?"

"Yes. It's a sweet cinnamon roll." Yuui cooed. "He's got a piece of sweet chocolate brownies, too."

Kurogane cringed. "Are all these bread sweet?"

"Yes. You don't like them?" Fai asks.

Kurogane pinched a bit from the brownie and ate it. He flinched as soon as the sugar and chocolate hit his tongue. "Yuck." He looks to the brats in front of him. "Do you like brownies?" He asks Fai. The brat should, he thinks.

Fai smiled at him. "Thank you, but I'm not into sweet things. Yuui might like it, though." Fai's twin nodded eagerly.

Kurogane pushed the plate to Yuui. "Get the brownie, then."

Yuui's hand shot towards the plate in an instant. He brings the brownie to his nose and smells its aroma. "Sweet. Thanks." He says. He leans his back on the chair. He bites into the brownie and chews it for a long time, which Kurogane presumes softens the brownie and dissolves it after a while.

_It will take the brat a year to finish the three square inch brownie. _Kurogane tells himself. He offers his cinnamon roll to Fai.

"Are you sure?" Fai asks. He took the roll when Kurogane nods. They eat in silence, at least until Kurogane notices that Yuui's lips are moving too much – side-to-side, up down; his cheeks puffed – and creating gurgling noises. Kurogane assumes he is still the dissolving of the brownie into pure liquid, but _still_, it looks and sounds gross_. _He swallowed it after half a minute or so.

"Quit it, Yuui." Fai elbows Yuui, making Yuui miss his bite into the brownie.

Yuui frowns. "You said you did not want it!"

"Yes, but quit doing that! The new caretaker is looking at you weirdly."

Yuui looks at Kurogane and sees his freaked out expression. He giggled. "You never saw a kid enjoy his brownie?"

"Never the way you do. Even the idiot doesn't do that." He continues staring at the twins weirdly.

"You like saying bad words, don't you?" Yuui says. Kurogane ignores him. He bites the brownie and continues liquefying it in his mouth.

"Who?" Fai asks the caretaker, ignoring his twin.

Kurogane shrugs. "Someone I know. He keeps making sweet stuff and tries feeding those to me all the time."

Yuui quits trying to dissolve the brownie in his mouth – he gulps it instantly – so he can speak. He ends up almost choking. "That's so nice." He manages to say after Fai runs to the kitchen and gives him a glass of water. "Could you just bring the sweet things here, if you don't want them?"

Kurogane rolls his eyes. "You'll get sick with all those sweets." He stores the suggestion for tomorrow morning, though.

Yuui pouts. He puts his last bit of brownie in his mouth and chews it meticulously, and then grinds it around his mouth.

"What's your name again, Mister?" Fai asks. He finished eating his roll, and is currently smiling gratefully. He propped his right hand under his chin.

"Kurogane." He could almost see where this is going, but he is still hoping that this world's Fai is not as ridiculous as the mage and will not mangle his name as the mage loves to do.

"Pardon, Kuro-what?" Fai asks, genuinely confused.

Kurogane had to close his eyes and exhale slowly so he could be calm enough to talk. Apparently, hoping against hope is not enough. "Ku – ro – ga – ne."

"Mr. Kuro…" Fai tries to complete the word, but it still refuses to slide from his mouth.

"Just call him Mr. Kuro." Yuui says after gulping down his last brownie slush. "I'm Yuui, and this is Fai, though I bet you already knew that."

"It's Kurogane, brat." Kurogane can feel annoyance creeping unto him.

"I'm sorry, mister." Fai cuts in when he sees the glare his twin is receiving. He does not bother try saying Kurogane's name. "We have trouble pronouncing some letters. If we try to say your name, it will come off as…" He fades away, hoping the ninja would understand what he meant.

"Kurowane." Yuui fills in for him, his elbows on the table and both his hands supporting his chin, either oblivious or disregarding of Kurogane's anger. "It's either Mr. Kurowane or Mr. Kuro. What do you think, Fai? Kurowane seems fun."

Fai smiles nervously. "I think 'Mister' would be fine, Yuui…"

Kurogane ignored Fai completely. He slams his hands on the table and leans towards Yuui. "No, you are NOT CALLING ME ANYTHING BUT KUROGANE!"

Yuui seems unaffected by his outburst. He smiles at the ninja, spreading his palms upward in front of him showing that he has no choice. "But we can't pronounce your name right, even if we tried really hard! At least we _are_ trying. What do you prefer us to call you, Mr. Kurowane or Mr. Kuro?"

Kurogane continues to glare at the twin in front of him. "Don't call me by my name, then." He eliminates the earlier suggestion of bringing sweets for the kids. There would be no sweets for Fai's twin, not now and never ever. He sits back to his chair and sips his tea, all the while glaring at Yuui.

Yuui is opening his mouth to say something when Fai cuts in. "Alright then, we're calling you mister." Fai says while elbowing his twin. His twin mouthed ouch, but Fai frowns at him.

Angel enters the dining room. She nods to Kurogane and gasps when she sees the twins. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot! You boys would have to wait for a few minutes. I already have the vegetables ready; I only need to cook them. It's going to be faster than normal, and the other children are still doing their activities, so you would still have dinner earlier than the rest."

Fai smiles, though his eyes say otherwise. "Thank you, Ms. Angel."

"Alright, I'm cooking then." Angel rushes to the kitchen. The kitchen door slams and stainless steel clinks against each other.

"Why do you eat earlier than the rest?" He is not the type to pry, but he was so curious about it. It seems unfair to the other kids that the twins should receive special treatment, and his thoughts mingled with the tone of his voice, which both twins heard.

Both twins turn to look at him, then to each other, before bowing their heads in silence. It somewhat scared Kurogane to see that the twins do everything almost synchronized. He can never imagine the mage doing that with someone else, although maybe if the other person is as much of an idiot as he is, and a mirror image of him for that matter, it is possible. He pushes the thought away, knowing that if he let it linger longer, it is going to visit him in his nightmare – two mages annoying him, what a nightmare it would be!

"Hey." Kurogane prods.

"Justine picks on us whenever we eat with them." Fai explains. He keeps his head bowed and his voice soft. From the parts of his face not covered by his hair, Kurogane can see his reddened cheeks. "So we often eat as early as we could."

Kurogane is not surprised, but the mention of the other brat reminds him of the twin's magic. For a while, he debates himself if he should ask the twins about magic. When he decides he will, Louie pops out from the doorway and bugs the kids – again – asking how they are after their parents' death. Not wanting to be either an audience or a part of an awkward talk, Kurogane decides to leave the orphanage at that point.

Fai beats him to mentioning magic during dinnertime (which is fine, since he did not know how to break it to them anyway). "This world has magic." The mage announces as soon as they have settled down the dining table.

Everyone – except Kurogane – looks up from his or her food. "Where? I don't feel anything." Mokona asks.

"Only very rare people in this world have magic, but when they do, it's really strong, so people are generally averse to magic. There was a buzz in the café a while ago. It seems like a powerful wizard died recently, and the people are relieved to hear of his death." Kurogane hears a faint quiver in his voice. The mage is a shade paler than he usually is, too, and his eyes are colder than usual. "I was able to ask a few questions from fellow waiters, and they say there is something that controls magic in this place that is not quite effective. It only blocks traces of magic, but it cannot stop powerful magic and spells. And people that powerful could often block their magic as well, so it creates an illusion that there is no magic in this place."

"Where did this powerful wizard come from?" Syaoran asks Fai. "Maybe we could look for people with magic where he came from, and find information about the feather."

"He died in the mountains. He was hiding until his death, because the government hunts down people with magic in this place. I don't think people you will find in the mountains will be willing to share information." Fai says.

"What happens to people with magic?" Kurogane asks. He remembers the prickling in his back when the twins cleaned the second floor, and the _'demons'_ that Justine so spitefully mouthed.

"They get imprisoned then killed."


	4. Chapter 4

4.

Kurogane misses the tingling sensation in his nape whenever the mage is near.

It had been three weeks since Fai first made a potion to conceal their magic. He was reluctant to make one at first, but the manjuu explained that if they tried to contact the witch and the witch gave them a potion via teleportation, it would use strong magic. Therefore, the mage disappeared after dinner. He returned at around 10 on the clock, his hands full of whatever leaves and roots and something brown and squishy. The mage and the manjuu were boiling water when Kurogane went up their bedroom to sleep. Morning after, the mage's magic is undetectable. Kurogane considered it a nice change at first. Then again, the mage's magic is what the makes the mage _the mage_, and now that it is gone, it made the mage alien and unfamiliar. Just this morning, Kurogane thought the person sitting at the rooftop is the kid, since the kid usually stays there and there is no tingling sensation in his nape. A few more steps up the stairs proved him wrong – he saw the mage sitting on the floor, removing weeds from the mini-garden that he set up in the rooftop a few days back.

The absence of magic around the mage sure is getting on his nerves.

The mage, on the other hand, knows it is the ninja. "It's too early to be awake, Kuro-myuu. Are you that excited to see the children?" The mage asks while plucking out weeds from his tomato plants. His back is facing Kurogane, but the ninja could almost hear the lazy smile in his voice.

"No." Kurogane leans on a post and let the chilly early morning's breeze mess with his hair. The sun is still sleeping, and there is no need for either of them to hurry.

Fai does not speak more. His hands constantly pluck the weeds and his eyes wander by the dark clouds and twinkling stars. The mage seems to be lost in his thoughts, so Kurogane decides to follow suit.

The mage is back to normal these days (the mage is never normal, it meant that the mage is acting stupid and faking his smiles again), but for a while he was so bogged down with his thoughts that he found it difficult to pretend to be happy. The mage is especially preoccupied on the night that he made the potion. Kurogane is assuming that it is the idea that magicians are persecuted in this world. He did not bother asking the mage then since he himself is preoccupied with the danger the twins apparently are in. He did not bother asking the twins about magic, either. They would not tell him anything anyway, and they might actually mistrust him if he forced it.

As the mage said, only powerful magicians could still use their magic despite the barrier, so that makes the twins powerful. That makes the mage powerful, too. He stares at the mage in front of him, stupid, lanky, and an idiot, but he knows even before they landed in this world that the mage is a powerful one, with a body brimming with magic that he can sense it even if the mage did not use it. He wonders just how powerful both Fai's are.

The past few weeks made him find out that the mage's counterpart in this world is just his exact opposite – nice and respectful. The twin drives him bonkers, though. They were not making up the part of their struggle on the letter _g_, but Yuui makes it his excuse to call him _Kurowane_, thinking it is funny. He even remembers Yuui telling his twin to call him daddy, and at that instance, he wonders if somehow during their birth, they were exchanged and Fai became Yuui. He quickly reprimanded Yuui (not that it helped). At least no one else in the orphanage dares call him other than Mr. Kurogane. If it came down to that, he would probably strangle the twin to death.

The mage suddenly stands up, bringing Kurogane back from his thoughts. "The sun will rise soon." He says. He stretches and yawns just like a cat before going to the stairs. "I'll make breakfast. What should I make your favorite kid, brownies or chocolate muffins?" There was an easy smile on his face.

Kurogane glared at him. "He is not my favorite."

Fai continues his way down the stairs. "Sure, sure." He says, with a little trace of a giggle in his voice. "That's why you gave him your munchkin." His footsteps are the only signs of his presence, and so Kurogane could not retaliate.

He did slip a munchkin for Yuui a few days after he said he would not give Yuui a single sweet treat. It just snagged his mind, and he thought he could give the brat one that day, since he does not like to eat his _sweet chocolate_ munchkin anyway. He was merely thinking that he did not want to waste a munchkin, and maybe if he gave the stupid twin a treat, the stupid twin would stop mangling his name. Unfortunately, the mage saw him, and since then the mage gives him a few sweet treats to work. He lets the mage, though, since he figures it is technically for the mage's twin. No harm trying to stop the mage from doing what little good he could. Kurogane gives it to the Yuui every morning, and Yuui loves it. Sometimes Fai would have some, but most of the time, Yuui eats all of it. He would not be surprised to know that the brat is diabetic.

He waited for the sun to come out before going back downstairs and taking a bath. When he gets out of the bath, he could already smell the soup the mage prepared. He, the mage, and the manjuu eat breakfast. The mage and the manjuu drink the potion after.

"We need to drink it everyday, Kuro-myuu." Fai explains when he sees Kurogane looking at both of them weirdly. "Or else the effect might fade."

Kurogane shrugs and gets up to leave. The mage, seeing that he will leave, reminds him of his lunch and the brat's daily treats. "Wait, Kuro-pon, I baked brownies. The tray is on the counter." The mage says before sipping a spoonful of soup. "Your sandwiches are beside it, too."

He walks over to the counter and sees half a tray of brownies. In a moment, he feels like losing all of his breakfast, just by imagining how _sweet_ those are. He gets four pieces anyway and puts them in a small box. The manjuu jumps on his shoulder and peers at the box. "Kuro-daddy must like this kid a lot. How come you give him treats everyday, and none for the others?"

He glares at the manjuu. _'Because it's the mage's twin.'_ He retorts in his mind, but did not voice out. He ignores Mokona, puts both his sandwich and the box in his bag and walks to the door.

Mokona rants on, however. "I want to meet the kid who softened Kuro-daddy's heart!" He can hear the mage's laughter and hoots of gleeful approval from the dining room.

Kurogane had enough. He throws the manjuu to the mage. The manjuu lands squarely on the mage's face with force enough to rock the mage's chair, making the mage throw tea on the table. "He did not freaking soften my freaking heart. I'm leaving." He marches out of their apartment, leaving both idiots protesting against his 'violence'.

The first person he sees from the orphanage is Louie. The head caretaker is leaning on the gate and seems to be waiting for him, and it can never mean good news. Louie approaches to prove his hunch right – Louie tells him that Angel is sick.

Kurogane just _knows _by then that this is going to be a long day. It is. He wakes up the kids, and even though he finds it easier these past few days, it never meant that it is an easy task. He doubts it would ever be an easy task. Some brats only need shaking, others need shouting, and one special brat needs to be thrown out of bed to wake up. He finds it especially satisfying to throw _that brat _out of bed (The bully does not remember anything when he wakes up, anyway, since he sleeps deep and usually drops off his bed during his dreams anyway).

He leads the drowsy kids to the dining room, only to find the place empty and hear clattering dishes in the kitchen. He orders the kids to sit before checking on the two teenage girls who usually help Angel. A long string of curses almost made its way out of his mouth when he sees that they are still cooking. He has no choice but to help by rinsing plates that the children would use, while walking back and forth the kitchen and the dining room every two minutes or so to make sure the brats were behaving. It was fine until a wail cuts through the thick morning air followed by another, and he had to rush to the dining room. A toddler who was still sleepy fell from his seat, apparently, and wailed his lungs out. The sudden sound startled another brat, so he wailed too.

He picks up the toddler who fell from his seat and tries to shush him down (he knows he looks stupid by the way the twins are muffling their giggles by the doorway) but it does not work. He pulls the said toddler to his chest, the way he saw Angel do it before, but the toddler's wail only got louder. It hit Kurogane's eardrums greater since the brat's mouth is directly against his ear. He winces and almost drops the toddler. He was ready to throw said toddler against the wall when Fai comes to the rescue.

"Let me have him, Mister." Fai appears in front of Kurogane, his arms outstretched upward, ready to receive the toddler. Kurogane looks through the twin's thin frame, assessing if the kid can manage.

"Give it to him, Mr. Kurowane. Fai's good at that kind of thing." Yuui says. He is bending over the other wailing toddler.

Kurogane hands over the toddler to Fai and goes back to the kitchen, too grateful to get off the crying toddlers to notice Yuui calling him _Kurowane_. It is a good thing that Justine is dozing off in his seat, too. If the brat was awake, he will roll his eyes at the twins _'Suck ups, that's why you're his favorite_,_'_ he will say. It did not matter to Kurogane – he would glare at the brat and that was that – but Fai is greatly affected. Fai will sulk the whole day if the more sensitive twin hears that.

The dining room stayed silent since then. After twenty minutes, they are serving breakfast. Slowly, the brats wake up as the aroma of the soups drift to their sleepy noses. They ravage their breakfasts after a while.

His day is just about to begin, though. After eating, the children rush off the receiving area to play. Kurogane had to chase the first three toddlers to take a bath. They squirm, struggle, and splash water all over the ninja. The next batches of brats were older, so they know they should keep silent so they would not aggravate the caretaker, who is already glaring and fuming by then. They take their baths in silence, but they still cannot take a bath without help or without splashing water all over the room and Kurogane. When it is the twins' turn to take a bath, his shirt is dripping wet and he is about ready to kill anyone who would ever cross his path. Yuui was about to say some smartass remark when Fai drags him by the elbow and they both disappear to the bathroom. A shout saying they can manage follows, so Kurogane let the twins do their business. After they went out, he calls on the older brats. They do not need help taking a bath, so Kurogane took the time to change his shirt. The past few weeks taught him to bring an extra shirt (after a few toddlers threw up on him), and he uses this newfound knowledge diligently. He decides to hang his shirt under the sun; he might need it later.

He goes to the playground and mows the grass. It grew fast the past few weeks, and just yesterday, one of the children spotted a snake. The playground is off-limits for the day, and until he mows it and deems it safe, the brats have to stay indoors. He thought it might be fun to watch the brats trapped inside the house, but it is turning out to be his punishment, not theirs. The brats' noises are giving him a headache, and if he will not clean the playground, his head might just split. That or some brat's head will. Therefore, he did not stop from mowing, even if the heat of the sun got to him easily. Besides, if he did get inside, the noise will kill him, and he will only be reminded of the mess the children are making that he had to clean afterwards.

After half an hour, a sun-baked Kurogane drags all of the kids out. The silence he hears when he steps back inside the orphanage is heaven. He was about to sit and relax (or at least cool down) when one of the teenage girls ask him to please help in the kitchen, the pipe in the sink is loose and water is dripping all over the place. He has to fix it up and help clean the floor. Lunch is ready right after that, and he had to drag the brats back inside, who were enjoying the outdoors too much by then. He eats along with the kids – Louie asked him to do so after noticing how the kids behaved around Kurogane. After the kids eat, he had to lead them all to their rooms for a nap. They sleep and he goes to the grocery store.

When he goes back, the children are crowding by the swing. They produce no sound but a faint whistling one, one that he knows he heard before. He approaches and sees the view inside the children's huddle: a gasping Fai holding on his twin, a smirking Justine in front of them, and a Yuui glaring at Justine.

"What do you think are you doing? Get his aspirator." His deep voice made all the brats jump. Yuui turns to him and runs to the orphanage. The brats follow Yuui's trail with their eyes, but they turn away as soon as he speaks again. "What happened?"

Justine rolls his eyes. "Well, whatever, you're taking their side anyway, won't you?" The brat crosses his arms on his chest and looks at Kurogane with contempt.

"I won't be taking anyone's side, so tell me what happened."

The brats are silent. They automatically stare at their slippers; some burrow their toes to the soil. Justine stares at him.

"I'm warning all of you. Speak up."

The brats continue looking at their feet. Justine smirks.

"That's it. Go upstairs and burrow your heads in your books." He saw some of the brats' heads jerk up, but when they meet his eyes, the words die on their lips.

After a lag of a few seconds, the brats drag their feet to the orphanage. Yuui meets them by the door. Justine bangs his body hard against Yuui's shoulder, and Kurogane can see the brat smirking. Yuui winces and glares at him before sprinting to Fai and Kurogane. His hair is sticking on his moist forehead.

"Where are they going?" He asks Kurogane after handing the aspirator to his twin.

"They will study upstairs. The two of you go, too."

"We have lessons? You're teaching us, Mr. Kurowane?" Yuui's face lit up.

Fai saw Kurogane's annoyance, so he fills his twin in. "They got punished, Yuui. No one would say what happened a while ago." His gaze did not touch his twin's; it is far away.

"But of course." Yuui's voice is soft. For a moment, Kurogane saw him smiling. But his eyes are dark and as far-away as his twin's is. Then it went as fast as it came. At first, Kurogane did not know what was off with that sight, but as he watches the twins walk towards the orphanage, he understood. Yuui looked like a fatigued adult.

Kurogane's hectic day continues until dawn. At the end of it, he just wants to lie down and sleep. He knows pain and tiredness – he is familiar to muscle sores, sprains, gashes and bleeding – but not this kind of fatigue. He already has his bag slung on his shoulder and his shoes on his feet when Louie approaches him.

"Umm, Mr. Kurogane…" His voice trailed. Kurogane turns to see him smile, but his eyes say otherwise. He fishes out a handkerchief from his pocket. "Well, you remember that Angel took over your job of sending the kids to sleep?" He wipes of a drop of sweat that was starting to roll towards his neck.

Kurogane need not hear the rest. He agrees to stay for the night, and proceeds to their apartment to get extra clothes and eat dinner.

The apartment is empty when he arrives. He leaves his shoes on the door and slips into the biggest house slippers on the rack. He goes straight upstairs without bothering to open the lights. He won't take long anyway; he just needs to take extra clothes and towels, and probably a bite or two of whatever is in the fridge. He was grabbing one of the towels in the bathroom when he hears the floor downstairs creak. He pauses to hear leather shoes clacking lightly against the floor. The door clicks shut.

"Kuro-rin? Are you there?" Fai's soft voice drifts upstairs.

"Yes." His deeper voice echoes.

"You should have switched the lights on, Kuro-pii. I thought it was someone else." It alarms Kurogane to hear that the mage was genuinely relieved when he said that.

"Who else would be here? Idiot."

"Someone stealing, maybe." It was silent for a while until Kurogane hears water running and some metals clinking against each other. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything that cooks fast. And not sweet." He can hear the mage laughing from below, but he ignores it. He takes two shirts from his drawer. He continues rummaging through his drawer until he pulls out a clean shirt. His clean shirts are getting fewer by the day; he needs to wash clothes soon. Maybe tomorrow, after he goes home from the orphanage. When he finishes gathering his things (towel, toothbrush, and the likes), he goes downstairs.

The mage looks up from the stove when he hears Kurogane's footsteps. "Why the bag, Kuro-pyon? Are you packing up our dinner for your favorite kid, too?"

"No." Kurogane walks towards the refrigerator, his bag still slung over his shoulder. When he bent down to look for a quick meal (the mage won't probably finish cooking that fast), the bag slides off his shoulder. He readjusts the bag and sees the mage looking at him, waiting for an explanation. "The other caretaker got sick, so I need to sleep there for tonight."

The mage places his spoon gently beside the pot. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Waaaah!" the mage wails. In an instant, he is spewing tears. He hugs Kurogane from behind, his hold clamping Kurogane's arms to the side. "Don't leave us, Kuro-daddy! I promise I will be a better mommy. I'll tell the children to be good too, and give their daddy a massage when he gets home!" Kurogane tries to push his hands off, but his hold is too tight. He continues rambling. "They'll fetch your slippers and take your coat off you, too. Please don't leave! We will all be very sad! Don't leave us!"

"Get off!" Kurogane tries harder, but the stupid mage is squeezing him tight. The mage is passing the act off as a joke, but the mage normally does not use this much force when he jokes around. If Kurogane really wants to get the mage off him, he is going to end up really hurting the mage.

He was still squirming out of a leech-mage when the kid opens the door and enters with the princess and the manjuu. "We're home." The kid says. He can hear the princess and the manjuu giggling in the background.

"Mokona~!" The mage half-pushes Kurogane away and runs towards the manjuu, his hands up in the air. He disappears to the living room, but Kurogane can still hear him. "Mokona! Help me stop Kuro-daddy! Daddy's leaving us!"

Kurogane hears Sakura gasp. "Kurogane-san's leaving?"

"Where is he going?" He can almost see the kid's concerned face.

"He's going to live with the kids in the orphanage!" The mage fake-wails.

Kurogane had enough. He marches to the living room, where he sees a wailing Fai hugging a wailing Mokona. "I said I'm only staying there for the night! Stop spreading your stupid lies around!" Both idiots ignore him and continue hugging each other while wailing. The kid and the princess, on the other hand, smile weakly.

"Kuro-daddy does not love us anymore! Kuro-daddy is breaking off our marriage because he loves that kid so much!"

And so Kurogane runs after him.

After settling down and having dinner (the kid and the princess had to intervene in their chase; the stupid mage left the vegetables boiling and they got overcooked, hence the mushy string beans Kurogane is munching for dinner), they discuss their day's events. The kid and the princess found out which mountain the powerful magicians hide. "They call it the Valkrye Mountain. We'll have to find out exactly where in the Valiant Mountain, though. They say it is huge, and many people are killed there. The magicians protect themselves from outsiders while the government kills anyone they see in the mountain, since it is a known hideout for powerful wizards. The wizard we talked to said there is a statue that has mystical powers, and the government wants it for themselves, too. But he didn't say exactly where in the mountain. He was drunk then…"

"Drunk?" The mage's sharp voice cuts Syaoran off. "Where did the three of you go?"

"An underground pub. People who are hunted by the government hang out there, I heard, so I checked it out." Syaoran bites his lip and blushes guiltily.

"You should not go in such dangerous places, kid. It's a good thing nothing bad happened to the princess. You should have taken the manjuu with you, though, and slammed it against some drunk's face."

"Syaoran-kun left us in a safe place, Kurogane-san!" Sakura's head snaps up to face Kurogane, amid Mokona's loud protests.

"Kurogane-san is right, Sakura. I shouldn't have done that; they might have followed me out of the pub and saw you. I'm really sorry, but I don't know where else to look for information. We've been searching for two weeks, and this is the closest lead that we got. I'm very sorry." Syaoran bows deep with apology.

"It's fine, Syaoran-kun, but please don't do that again." Fai's lips curves gently. "It's time for the two of you to take a rest, too. The manager of the café said I could skip work tomorrow, so I'll be the one to look for information. Ok?"

Mokona squeals and jumps on Fai's shoulder. "Fai-mommy is so kind~!" The manjuu rubs her round body against the mage's hair. "But I guess mommy should be very kind to us. We should be very kind to mommy, too, Sakura and Syaoran! It's a very hard time for all of us now that are daddy is leaving us, while we still have no idea where Sakura's feather is. Such a sad, sad life."

"But of course, Mokona. We should all be kind to each other, especially during hard times." Fai smiles at Mokona and rubs her long ears. "Oh, which brings me, do you want to move to another apartment?" The mage continues, ignoring Kurogane, who was asking them to shut the hell up.

"Eh? Why?" Syaoran asks. "This apartment is fine."

"Actually, I'm earning a lot in the café. We can afford to live in a larger apartment, so we can have rooms of our own and not share rooms like how we do so now. I computed, and on my next paycheck we can even afford a second-hand car." The mage pauses, thinking, before turning to Kurogane. "You don't even have to work at this rate, Kuro-daddy. You don't need to leave us anymore, too."

"Damn it, I said I'm not leaving!" Kurogane seethes in annoyance. "It's only for a freaking night, until Angel gets well."

Fai looks straight at his eyes before turning to Syaoran and Sakura. "So, what do you kids think?"

Syaoran ponders before answering. "I think we should stay here, Fai-san. We can save the cash for a time when we really need it." Sakura nods at Syaoran.

"Hyuu! I've got such level-headed children! I'm such a lucky mother to have the two of you! Go upstairs and sleep now, children. Mommy and daddy will clean up and wash the dishes for you."

Sakura and Syaoran protest a little, since washing the dishes is their chore, but Fai shoos them upstairs. Their fatigue is apparent in their eyes, anyway. Therefore, both of them left, followed by a sleepy manjuu, and the mage and Kurogane are alone in the dining room again.

"I'm leaving, mage." Kurogane says. He got carried away by the conversation about the feather, and did not notice that it's already 8 pm. Louie asked him to be back before 7:30 pm, when the kids will have their dinner.

The mage, who was putting plates on top of each other, stops and turns to him. The mage is still wearing his weird expression. "You don't have to work anymore, Kuro-pyon." He repeats.

"You harassed me into getting a job, and now you want me to quit?" He adjusts the bag strap back to his shoulder.

Fai continues staring at him. Heavy silence hung around them before the mage spoke up again, this time in a softer voice. "Well, I was thinking that if you'd quit, you can help in the search for the feathers." Fai gets the pile of plates and brings them to the sink. He let the faucet run as he rinsed the plates. Kurogane thought the mage had nothing more to say, until the mage added. "What lucky kids those are to have Kuro-daddy love them and look after them."

"I don't love them!" He can feel his cheeks burning.

The mage is putting liquid detergent on the scrub and the washbasin. "Come on, Kuro-pyon, no need to be shy. That's why you do not quit even though we can survive with you not working anymore."

"Damn it, mage! I'm not quitting, not all of a sudden! I'm not like you who can just walk out without any thoughts of what would happen to others if you left." He is already glaring at the mage. The strap of his bag is hanging by the crook of his elbow but he did not bother adjust it back to his shoulder.

The mage stops scrubbing the plates, but he does not turn around to face Kurogane. "I know." Kurogane knows that tone, along with the sad smile that often accompanies it. "That's why I said they are lucky to have a Kuro-daddy around, one that can always be depended on." No one speaks or moves an inch. Finally, Fai starts scrubbing the plates again. "Hurry up, Kuro-pyon. Your kids are waiting for you."

Kurogane did not argue anymore. He left.

He arrives on the orphanage feeling frustrated. Why did he pick a fight with the mage, when he could have walked out early on and not pluck a few strings? He usually provokes the mage on purpose, but this time he did not mean to. His current mood shows; he knows by the way that everyone is avoiding crossing his path. Even the smartass Justine did not put up a fight when he ordered them to sleep and turn their lights off. Louie seems reluctant to approach him, too, but did anyway.

"Mr. Kurogane, I deeply apologize for making you stay for the night. It's just that in case of an emergency, it's always better to have someone else to work with. I mean in case of a fire…" Louie's voice trails off as he waves his hands in an attempt to explain what he is saying. "I'm sorry, did you have a fight with your wife?"

Kurogane glares at Louie. "That stupid idiot is not my _wife_." He says through gritted teeth. If he did not grit his teeth together, he could have shouted.

Louie unconsciously takes a step back. He puts his hands in front of him too, for protection of any violent reaction, which is not far from happening based on Kurogane's state. "Oh, okay. Sorry." Louie pauses before continuing with a reluctant tone. "Well, I am here to tell you that we don't really have any extra rooms for the moment yet, and my room does not have any extra beds. The twins' bedroom has an extra mat, though. I guess you'd do fine, seeing you get along with the twins so well." Kurogane hears his voice waver at the last sentence, and sees his eyebrows twitched a bit on the last few words. Kurogane nods anyway. He does not really care if he sleeps on the floor; years of ninja training taught him how to sleep on rocks and branches.

Everyone is sleeping when he goes upstairs. He opens the twins' squeaky door and finds an empty bed. The other bed has two blankets and two heaps of bodies underneath. One of them looks up and giggles before hiding his face in the blanket.

"Sleep." He orders the twins.

"Are you sleeping with us?" He hears a twin's voice muffled by the thick blanket.

"Yes, so go to sleep."

One of the twins sits. The twin reaches for the tip of the blanket covering his feet and neatly folds the blanket before offering it to Kurogane. "It's cold, Mister. You can use this blanket; it goes with the bed over there."

Fai is right; it is colder in their room than the rest of the house. Kurogane can feel the chilly autumn breeze. He looks around the room and sees open windows beside the bed the twins are using. "It would be warmer if you close that."

"We like the moon." The other twin's smiling head pokes from the blanket.

"What?" Kurogane stares at them, barely understanding or properly interpreting what the twin said.

"We like the moon." Yuui repeats. He starts kicking the blanket off. "If you're cold, you can have this blanket, too."

"If it snows?" Kurogane does not know what prompted him to ask the question, especially since he cannot even understand the relationship of liking the moon and leaving your window open. If he had more presence of mind and less frustration at that time, he would probably order the twins to close the window and stare at the moon through the glass.

"It won't." Yuui answers with a smile on his face. "There's no cloud in the sky, and no strong winds, either." Yuui extends a hand holding a ruffled blanket.

A gust of wind blows and both twins shiver. They move to each other unconsciously, but they continue to holding out their blankets to him.

Kurogane continues to stare at the twins in front of him, his frustration with the mage forgotten. He gives up trying to follow the twin's seemingly irrational logic and slumps on the unoccupied bed. "Keep your blankets, crazy brats." He murmurs before turning to his side. He can hear the twins shuffling with their blankets (wrapping them around, he assumes; stupid brats offering their blankets when they shiver at the slightest gust of wind). They settle in their bed, and after a few minutes, he can hear a soft snore coming from their direction. After a while, similar sounds came from him, too.

He woke up with a start. He couldn't figure out why at first, since it was still dark, until he heard the sobs behind him. He turns around and finds one twin squirming and flailing his arms in his sleep. The other is hunched beside the dreaming twin, shaking the dreaming twin by the shoulders.

"Wake up, Yuui. Wake up, it's just a dream!" Fai whispers in his twin's ear; each hoarse syllable accompanied by a fog of breath. Yuui continues to throw his arms around, his elbow hitting Fai's lips hard. Kurogane heard the thud of the impact even from the other bed. Fai let out a stifled cry and let go, holding on his bleeding lips.

"No!" Yuui wails. It caught Kurogane's attention – he rarely heard a cry as desperate and as helpless as that one, and often it came from an undignified enemy ninja before death or a mother watching his son's death. He never thought it possible to come from a child. Something shimmering comes from Yuui's eyelid and trickles down his cheek.

The rest of the orphanage remains silent; no one stirs from his or her sleep. Kurogane approaches the twins. He puts steady firm hands on Yuui's shoulders. "Wake up." He says in his low, steady voice. Yuui tries squirming off his firm grasp, to no avail.

"No, don't." Yuui groans weakly. Another drop of tear trickles down his cheeks, and a whimper escapes him.

Kurogane shook Yuui thrice. Yuui suddenly opens his eyes and tries to sit up, but Kurogane's firm grasp stops him. His eyes and his mouth hung wide open for a while before he clamps them shut and sobs. Kurogane lets him go, and he rolls to his side and hugs his knees, his body shivering with both the cold and his fright.

Fai took this as his cue to get a glass of water. He scrambles to the edge of the bed and scurries down the stairs, his bleeding lip forgotten. Heavy footsteps echo through the empty hallways, but no one still wakes up.

When he returns, Yuui is still curled up. He places the glass of water on the floor and crawls to the bed beside his twin. "Hush, Yuui. Calm down, it's just a dream." He hugs Yuui tight. Yuui snuggles closer to him, and Kurogane watches them, pale look-alikes hugging themselves on white crumpled sheets under the bright light of the full moon. He had to blink; for a while, they looked just like ghostly apparitions.

Kurogane goes back to his bed and lies down, but he remains awake, watching the twins. He thought of treating Fai's lip, but he does not want to destroy the twins' moment. He decides to treat the wound after Yuui calms down.

It took ten minutes for Yuui to start moving again. The first thing he did was to sit and crawl to drink the glass of water. Fai sits too, and assists him – his hands are still shaking badly; when he got the glass from Fai's hands, he spilled almost a quarter of the water. They sit silent after that, both lost in thoughts.

Kurogane knows Yuui has recovered when the twin asks him where he lives. He was surprised, but he humors the twin anyway. "I live down the block."

"You own a house? You must be rich."

"It's not ours; we rent it while we're staying here."

"So you're not staying here for good." Yuui did not even ask it as a question.

"Yes."

"Who are you with? You've got a family?"

"No. But we travel together." He sees Yuui visibly tense up. Fai, who was playing with his fingers, jerks his head up to Kurogane "What?" He asks in annoyance.

"You're travelers?" Fai asks.

"Yes. So what?"

The twins turn their heads to each other at the same time; both with surprised and worried faces. Finally, Yuui speaks up. "Never ever tell that to anyone, Kuro-pii. Travelers are an unwanted race here."

Kurogane snorts with a half-smile on his face. "If you meant magic, no, I am not a mage." He does not have to look at the twins to see their confused faces. Their long silence is enough.

"You don't have magic." Fai repeats.

"Then why do you travel?" Yuui asks.

"Do you need to have magic to travel?" He snaps.

"No." Yuui, forever indifferent to Kurogane's annoyance, prods on. "But how can you be safe if you travel without magic? And why travel in the first place, when you can stay in one place, unbothered by the government?"

"I can protect myself, and we have to travel to do something."

"We know that you are strong, but…" Fai's voice fades. He looks up the ceiling with his scrunched face deep in thought. "Magic is still something else. It's…"

Kurogane glares at them. "You haven't seen me really fight yet, brat, so shut up. I can defend myself without any need of any stupid mages."

"Yeah, how do you fight? With your bare hands?" He can hear Yuui smiling. "I bet Mr. Kurowane can pack a good punch, Fai." Yuui giggles.

"I doubt a strong punch would do well to hostile wizard groups or government officials, Yuui." Fai's voice is laced with concern similar to his mother's when he plays outside until sunset.

"I have a sword. And I'm no ordinary swordsman, either, so stop it." The lack of any hint of annoyance in his tone surprises him.

"You're a swordsman?" Yuui asks. His jaw drops and his eyes widen. Kurogane can feel the tension in the air as the other twin reflects the same fear.

"Yes." He decides to explain himself further. "We came from a far-away place, and we're looking for a way to go back home."

"You don't work for the president?" Fai asks. He can feel both twin's eyes probing him, scrutinizing his moves. "There is a high demand for swordsmen in this country."

Kurogane feels one of his eyebrow rise. "I never heard of that." It surely did not show during their frantic job hunt. Then again, the mage did not promote his swordsman skills because this world seems to disapprove of any violence. But it's for the good, he decides, else his job would be in conflict with the mage and the manjuu. "But I'm not, and that's what matters. No need to be suspicious; I won't report you or anything."

"Why would we get suspicious?" Yuui snaps. His narrow eyes and his tense shoulders say otherwise.

He shakes his head. "Just like the mage." He mutters before closing his eyes. He wants to catch another nap before the sun rises.

"Mage?" Fai repeats. "You know a wizard?"

Kurogane almost slaps his head when he realizes his mistake. "Oh, damn." He opens his eyes to a glare. "Yes. Now get this clear: I won't talk about your magic, and you won't tell anyone that I know someone who has magic. Understood?"

The kids turn to each other at the same time, both their eyes and mouths hanging wide. Yuui is the first to recover. He was about to speak in a clearly defensive tone when Fai puts an arm in front of him. "How did you know about it?"

"I felt your magic once. So do we have a deal?"

The twins nod; their bobbing silhouettes and shadows tell Kurogane. There was uneasy silence before Fai broke it with a whisper barely heard. "We're sorry. We did not mean to get you angry, Mister. But we're telling you this because we like you. Never, ever, _ever _admit to anyone that you came away from a far away place. It's a tell-tale sign of magic. Travelers are usually seized."

Kurogane feels a smile creep on his face. "Then you should know better than to talk about magic."

"You said you won't tell anyone, didn't you?" Yuui says. "Unless…" His look tells Kurogane that he does not trust the caretaker as much as his twin does.

"I won't, but you shouldn't talk about it anyway. Now go to sleep."

"I don't want to." Yuui murmurs. One of the silhouettes has a bowed head. The other body shifts nearer the bowed one. "Can we just talk? Tell us where you came from, or maybe of your journey. Like bedtime stories, ne, Fai?"

"That would be nice." Fai says; his gentle smile back in his voice.

Kurogane sighs in both annoyance and defeat. "If I do, would you freaking let me go back to sleep?"

"Yes." The heads of their silhouettes bob furiously. Blankets fly to the air and settle down the bed as both twins shuffle back to their sleeping position.

Nihon is the first place that comes to his mind. He talks about the royal court. They are surprised to hear of a place where anyone with magic is accepted, even revered. The twins were both alert at first (Both listening intently as he describes battles against dragons; Yuui giggling as he tells how the princesses tease him; Fai cringing as he lists what he usually does for his training regime), but after a while, he hears a snore. He took it as his cue to stop and sleep. The moment he closes his eyes, though, a voice pipes from the dark.

"Ne, Mister Kurowane. Does your kingdom have magicians?"

"The princesses do."

"So you're traveling with your princesses? Why did you take them with you? And why leave your kingdom in the first place? It sounds like a nice, peaceful kingdom to me."

If Kurogane's eyes were open, he will roll them. He snorts. "Ask Tomoyo about it. She sent me to this journey, so I'm traveling with them to find my way back home."

"Find a way back home? Then why don't you just go back home?"

"I need magic; that's why I'm sticking with the mage and the manjuu."

"The princess is not with you?"

By this point, Kurogane realizes that the brat will not let him sleep soon, at least not if he will not do something about it. "Look, brat. I'm sleepy. I already told you a lot of stories, so go back to your damn sleep."

"Why are you here?" Yuui insists asking.

He groans. Apparently, this twin's doubts are still present. He takes a deep breath to calm his wired nerves. "I am not a government agent. I am not hunting wizards. I travel with a magician, and we travel via a magical pork bun. We travel because we are looking for magical feathers. Understood?"

Yuui jerks his head to face Kurogane. "You know about the feather?"

It was Kurogane's turn to jerk his head to face Yuui. "_You _know something about the feathers?"

Yuui turns to his twin, but Fai is still snoring. He turns back to Kurogane. "What do you want with the feather?"

Kurogane knows that tone of voice all too well; they met distrust a lot too much in their journey for him to miss it. He takes another deep breath. He usually shouts at the people who are suspicious of them so he lets the mage talk to the people. The mage had always been better with handling distrust, which is by telling more lies that are believable. Since he does not want to build a lie right now, he decides to tell the truth. "The magical feathers are the princess' scattered memories. We have to collect them, so we go to different w-places to look."

"What happens if the princess gets it back?"

"It goes back to her body, and she regains the memory in that feather."

Yuui does not respond. He looks to his twin warily, and for a while reached out to his twin's shoulders to would wake the other up. However, he withdraws his hands from his twins shoulder. He stops, takes a deep breath, and looks to the moon and far, far away. His eyes are still dazed when he speaks. "It's in a statue. The great elder sealed it in, so neither the government nor the bad wizards can get it."

"Where is the statue?"

"In Mount Valkrye. There is a community of peaceful wizards there, but they protect the statue fiercely. If you explain, they will give the feather. But there are other people in that mountain – wizards and government agents who kill each other and seek greater power. You have to be careful when you're in that mountain."

"How do we know that it's the community?"

"You can't see it and there is only very faint magic there. It's halfway the peak of the mountain. You should go up the mountain from behind, though."

"Any landmarks?"

"None. You have to be good at detecting magic. Trees more densely fill that area, though. You have to find the spot where the town's gate stands. It's somewhere north, and the trees stand almost side by side in that spot. There, you have to do an opening magic spell. The town's gate will materialize, and a guard will come. You have to talk to him so he would let you in."

Kurogane nods. "Alright."

Yuui sighs. He looks to his twin before looking back to Kurogane. "Promise you'll get the feather, Mister Kurowane. And don't tell anyone about the village."

"Yes, we will." Kurogane considers asking the twin if it is their hometown, but he decides not to push it. "Now, go back to sleep. We still have around an hour to nap."

Yuui does not protest. He flips to his side and hugs his twin before closing his eyes.

0o0o0

Note: I apologize for the severe delay. Blame pet society and sorority life. I do not want to post a half-baked chapter again either, just like what I did to chapter 2, so I finished it. Sorry for the latest unreplied reviews, too, but thanks a lot to them, because they budged me to work when all I think about is going to facebook (^_^) I'll make sure I respond to all reviews from now on. Updates might get as long as this, though (both in number of words and time to update) – pretty busy with school, since school started two month ago in this side of the world. Yes, my excuses.

Thanks for waiting/reading!


	5. Chapter 5

5.

The mage looks suspicious.

Kurogane hates a loud mage, but he also knows that real trouble brews when the mage is silent. So far, Mokona is the only one teasing him about the blunder of a hidden village, while the annoying partner-in-crime never uttered a word, instead walking silently behind the group. He knows it's not about the _'Daddy is leaving home'_ incident, since the mage teased him before they set to the mountain. It can't be the winter chill either, since the mage is used to the cold. He continues examining the said mage, who is by now dragging his feet to the fountain in the middle of the abandoned town plaza.

"Do you think this village is abandoned recently, Kurogane-san?" Syaoran asks. The kid has been probing around the empty wooden houses and the small, deserted, stone temples in the village and has not spoken until then. "There's no one here. The temples have not been used for a while, but the houses are inhabited."

Since they stepped inside the village, they have yet to meet a single soul. The village is indeed halfway the mountain, passing from the back, as the twin said, with trees bunched around the entrance, but it is the opposite of being hidden. The stone gate is tall, and so are the mossy walls around it, so the group saw the village from afar. There are no guards around the entrance and the rusty hinges of the gate easily gives way, so the group entered the village. But they could have walked into a ghost town just as well. Their voices, however soft, echo across the deserted pebble paths and unmanned market stalls, and they peeked onto the darkness of the hollow houses to find nothing but empty wooden dining tables. Kurogane notices the absence of the smell of stuffed air, left long enough in an enclosed space. There are some pots above the fire, gently boiling vegetables for residents that have suddenly gone missing. There are also potato fields at the outskirts of the town, and the potatoes are definitely taken care and tended, but those tending the fields are not in the vicinity, either. They have circled the town twice, but it's really empty. Can an entire village be vacated just like that?

Or at least visibly. Kurogane can feel someone walking and looking from behind them. Every time he looks behind him, though, he sees only a sulking mage; past the mage is empty space. The feeling has been lingering since they set foot in the village. Sometimes he feels like people are watching them from every direction, but there is still no one around.

"This is the most annoying village I've ever been to. Oi, manjuu, do you feel any feathers here?"

Mokona's face scrunches from her effort, but she shakes her head a few seconds after. "No, Mokona can't sense any feathers here at all!" She sighs and slumps her shoulders before turning to Kurogane. "Ne, Kuro-daddy, first you said the village is hidden, now there is no feather here at all."

"We're back to the first step, I suppose." Syaoran's shoulders slump, too.

Sakura reaches out to Syaoran's elbow. "It's fine, Syaoran-kun. We can do this." She smiles.

Sakura is about to speak again when a voice behind Kurogane interrupted. "You're looking for a feather?" It asked.

Kurogane turns to the voice and sees a man about his height, wearing an eared white coat with fur on the linings. Past the man and the empty cottages are the villagers (Kurogane assumes) gathered around the fountain that the mage is studying. They are wearing the same eared white coats. The mage is with them, him and his white fluffy fur coat.

Syaoran gapes a while before he finally closes his mouth and speaks. "Uhh... Y-yes. It's hers. The feathers are hers."

"You said _feathers._ There are other feathers?" The man's blue eyes narrow.

"Yes sir. If you have one of them, please give it to us." Syaoran bows, and Sakura follows.

The man stares at them for a while (and in that short while, Kurogane felt the _tingling_ sensation on his nape) before smiling. "Get up and don't call me sir. I haven't introduced myself properly, have I? My name is Aiba, and I am the current chief of the village. You are the owner of the feather?" He asks Sakura.

Sakura nods. "Yes, Mr. Aiba. My name is Sakura, and this is Syaoran-kun, Mokona-chan, and Kurogane-san. And that near the fountain is Fai-san." She points to the each member of the group as she tells the names.

Kurogane almost slapped his head then and there as the man's eyes widen and his head jerk to the mage's direction. "Fai?" His voice quivers near the end. The other villagers turn to the mage, and those near him backed away.

In the instant before the mage bows, Kurogane sees his quivering chin. "Nice meeting you, Mr. Aiba." The mage's voice is soft, but his words are clear against the sudden silence of the villagers.

The crowd start murmuring, while Aiba is silent. The mage, on the other hand, has yet to raise his head from his current bow. It took a moment for the village chief to curve his lips up and speak again. "So, I see. Funny, he also looks like our Fai. But you are not our Fai, are you? Our Fai is a lot younger than you are."

Fai finally raises his head. "I'm sure it's my first time to step in this village."

"You sure do." Aiba says, but despite the upward curve of his lips, he continues studying the mage from head to toe. He turns to Sakura after completing two whole body gazes at the mage. "Ms. Sakura, we've waited a long time for you to claim your feather back. I'm very glad that you have come to collect it, finally. Our village had to endure many fights as the feather's guardian, and it scares me to find out that there are more."

Sakura lowers her head. "I'm very sorry to hear that my feather caused you trouble."

"It's fine, Ms. Sakura."

The words barely comfort Sakura. She keeps her head bowed; too ashamed to look at the guardians in the eye, until she feels her hand being gently led upward. She looks up and sees Aiba kissing her hand. "Please don't be sorry, princess. We are glad that you have come."

Kurogane can see Syaoran blush amidst the winter chill. Just a while ago, the kid was pale from the cold.

Aiba gets up and points to the fountain's direction. "That is your feather. If we get nearer it, we can start a spell to break the feather's seal."

"Really?" Mokona asks. "But Mokona can't feel the presence of any feathers around here!"

"Of course you cannot. Our late great elder sealed it in this fountain before he died." His eyes droop a bit before he smiles again. "Pretty magnificent, isn't it?"

"Mokona thinks it's beautiful!" The manjuu squeals.

Kurogane thinks it the only fancy monument the village has. The statue is a tower, a meter in diameter at its base and narrowing down to just a few centimeters at its top. It is three meters high with a body covered by blue metallic swirls. Around the tower are small red and white lumps shaped out to be flowers, sometimes with green sharps to portray the grasses that sometimes stick out in the early winter snow. It slopes down until the water reaches it, and then plunges downwards. The fountain is enclosed by a three feet wall. And although the whole village, the residences and the villagers included, looks behind the years, the fountain looks the opposite. The tower's light gray body and its blue swirls still have its smooth finish, and the reds and whites of the flowers still stand out in the fountain's steadily flowing clear waters.

"It looks magnificent, Aiba-san. And it masked the feather's power well. Mokona wasn't able to detect it." Syaoran adds.

"The great elder is a very powerful magician." Kurogane hears the village chief murmur. "Well, then, we can start the unsealing spell."

A gust of winter wind blows. Two villagers, both females, step out from the crowd. They raise their hands to the gray heavens; their blonde hair and the sleeves of their furry white coats flapping in the winter chill. Their chant starts in a very low voice, barely audible against the winter wind's own hum, but their voices rise until it was almost like a squeal. Blue swirls of magic come out from their hands. The swirls play around the tower, swaying with the breeze, until the chanting stops. The swirls stop, hover against the similar prints on the tower, and dissipate in it. There was a sudden light, too bright for Kurogane to continue staring at, so he looks away.

When he looks back, the thing aged a thousand years. The clear water is gone, and so are the bright blue swirls in the tower. The feather floats at the top of the tower, illuminating its tired, ancient, gray walls. The bright red flowers look like red ink splotched in the dirty white lumps barely identifiable as flowers; the greens fade out to a dull gray hue. The fountain spurts out chunks of water every second or two.

"It changed so much." Mokona murmurs.

Everyone gazes as the feather floats to the princess. Sakura takes one last look at it and a last linger at the faded fountain, before faintness claims her. Syaoran catches her on cue.

Happy chatters float to the air as soon as the feather goes back to the princess. The children cheer, the women sighs in relief with their hands covering their mouths. The elders nod in approval (Kurogane hears a nearby elder saying that he can now rest in peace), and the men carry their children up in their arms and hug their wives. Even the two villagers who unlocked the feather have moisture in their eyes and a smile on their lips.

It was then that Kurogane catches a glimpse of the mage, who is the farthest from celebrating. He seems lost; his eyes wide, his lips pale, and his skin almost a ghastly white. A drop of tear fell from the side of his right eye. He keeps on stepping backwards and backwards until he reaches Kurogane, where he steps on the ninja's foot and trips. Kurogane catches the mage by the arm. "Oi, mage, are you all right?"

Fai gapes at Kurogane, disoriented. He turns to the fountain, then back to Kurogane, before realizing what happened. He staggers to stand, and the ninja helps him by pulling him upwards.

To say that Kurogane is surprised is an understatement. The ninja knows the mage has a lot of issues, and he had the hint that the village has something to do with them, but to see the mage lose total control and break his mask in the presence of many people is too startling. The mage is still shaking and his arm is wet with cold sweat. He is gasping for breath like how he does when waking up from a nightmare.

Kurogane sees the village chief approaching them. "Are you all right?" Fai barely nods. "You must be very tired from your journey. We have a vacant cottage nearby, you can stay there until the princess wakes up and you have composed yourselves again."

Fai is still speechless, so Kurogane takes his place. "Thank you."

Aiba smiles, and when he does, it was the first time Kurogane saw his eyes smile with his lips. "We are the ones who appreciate your kindness. You have finally taken the feather, and we would do our best to help you in any way. And all of you came, even with both the physical and emotional pain you could have gotten here." He gives Fai a smile, then turns to Kurogane and Syaoran. "Let's give your princess a place to sleep, shall we? Please follow me."

The cottage that the village chief is talking about is small and homely – made of gray stones like the tower fountain and the mossy village walls, with just enough space for the fireplace, a bed for one, and a table with four chairs. A villager is lighting the fireplace when Syaoran opens the door. When the villager sees them, he bows, gathers his things, and disappears.

"Can you also _travel_?" Syaoran asks. "He just disappeared..."

Aiba gets in and sits on the chair nearest the door, and motions the rest of them to sit. A still listless Fai sits at the chair beside the village chief (the suddenly silent manjuu is on the mage's shoulder and is trying to rub some color back to his cheek), and Kurogane sits on the chair in front of the village chief. Syaoran lays the princess on the bed before taking the seat between the village chief and Kurogane.

The village chief speaks as soon as everyone is settled in their seats. "No, we cannot. We can only travel short distances. The villager you saw probably just went back to his own house. No one in this village knows how or has enough magic to travel dimensions, except maybe the late great elder and the t-" Aiba cuts himself shorts, and Kurogane narrows his eyes (twins?) "someone who lived in the village, yes. Oh, is the temperature to your liking?"

Syaoran replies. "It's fine for us, Aiba-san."

Aiba nods. "Just tell me if it's still cold. We have some hot drinks coming, so maybe that could help calm your nerves." He looks at Fai at the last sentence. Fai smiles at him and murmurs a thank you while the manjuu hugs the mage's cheek.

The kid leans nearer Kurogane. "What happened to Fai-san, Kurogane-san?"

"I don't know." Kurogane says, though it's not completely true.. He has a hint: if the twins are from this village (as it might be since the village chief knows something about twins and someone named Fai), then it is possible that the mage is seeing a world parallel to his own world. If someone named Ashura suddenly jumps out from the village's shadows, the mage will probably lose his mind.

"Are you sure there are more feathers?" Aiba suddenly asks, cutting Syaoran from asking more to Kurogane.

The kid nods. "Mokona detected three of them. Do you know where the other feathers might be?"

Aiba sighs and shakes his head. "I really don't, and frankly, I don't think there is any left. Our village is the main target of those with a lust for power because of the feather, and I have yet to hear of any other massive power source." Aiba stops and looks at a doubtful Syaoran before laughing. "No one among you trusts me, huh?"

Syaoran blushes. "No.. No, I – "

Aiba waves his hands in front of him. "No, please stop, I..." Laughter continues to seize the village chief, so he stops. When he can sit straight again, he continues speaking. "You see, magicians have different specializations. Your friend here, Fai, specializes in attack magic, for example, while the late great elder specialized in healing magic. My specialization is knowing about another person as long as he has spoken with me. It can be your feelings or what you're thinking... it can be general, but one certain thing is that I can almost read your thoughts right now. This is also the reason why I was able to know that you were telling me the truth about the ownership of the feather."

"About that," Kurogane starts. "where were you hiding a while ago?" He has been itching to ask the question – he has yet to meet another ninja who can sneak behind him, but an entire village of magicians sneaked on him this time.

"You seem to have forgotten that we're magicians. We cast a spell on you so we will remain invisible. It worked well, didn't it?"

"It worked too well." Kurogane feels his mouth form a frown. He concludes that mages are the most annoying creatures in the whole world. Damn mages.

"I'm sorry, Aiba-san." Syaoran's murmur is barely heard in the tiny room. "It's just that Mokona felt three powerful sources, and they could be the feather..."

"Well, if it's a powerful source, the government should have one. You must have known about their device that stops magic. Something that can do that should have immense power. I'm not sure if it's a feather, though. The other powerful source... well, I'm not sure. The world is vast."

They hear a knock on the door before silence can settle in. A villager goes in with a tray containing 5 steaming cups. He serves both the village chief and Kurogane a cup of aromatic black coffee each (without sugar or milk, thankfully), Syaoran a cup of green tea, and Mokona and the mage a mug of sweet chocolate.  
All of them savors their drinks in silence (Kurogane _loves_ this cup of coffee), until the mage speaks again.

"Pardon me for asking, Aiba-san. This person named Fai, is he around here?"

Aiba stops and shakes his head slowly. "Fai had long gone left the village, though I am sure he is somewhere around the city with his family. You might be able to find them, I think. You live in the city, don't you?" He gives the mage an apologetic smile.

"Yes, we do. It must be interesting to meet someone with the same name as you have." The mage tugs his cheeks hard, closes his glazed eyes, and tilts his head to the side.

"Yes, it must be." Aiba nods. "Though I think traveling to different worlds is a lot more interesting. How are your worlds like?" He turns to Syaoran.

Syaoran tells of his dessert kingdom, the young king, the people, the beloved princess (at which all of them smirks and Mokona _hyuu_'s) and the ruins near their kingdom. Aiba then prods Kurogane and he tells about the royal court and the training that ninjas undergo. Mokona volunteers to go next, telling how Yuuko's shop works and the many customers they have.

Aiba smiles. "Very interesting worlds. I'd like to see and travel once."

"You can always approach Yuuko!" Mokona suggests. "Many have come to her asking to have the ability to travel through dimensions."

"But she asks for a price, doesn't she? She might ask me for a price too high."

"Of course she will." Kurogane grumbles. Beside him, Fai laughs nervously.

"Well, in any case, I'm contented with our village. You have taken the feather away, so we can rest in peace. The villagers are thanking you enormously, too."

"What happened before? Did the government hunt your village?" The manjuu asks. She jumps off the mage's shoulder and goes nearer the village chief.

The village chief reaches out to touch the manjuu. "I'm fine. We're very happy right now; I have no words to express my gratitude towards you. When the feather arrived, the village was attacked a lot of times. Many were sacrificed." He gives Kurogane a knowing smile at this point. "Until the great elder had enough. No one outside the village knows that the great power emanating from our place is a feather. The great elder amplified his magic and surrendered himself to the government, so everyone thought that the great power is dead."

"The great elder..." Fai clears his throat before continuing. "was he caught just a few weeks ago?"

"No, he was caught around two months ago, but he was killed just three weeks ago. You've heard of it?"

Fai nods. "The waiters were talking about it a few weeks ago. Everyone was relieved about it."

Aiba closes his eyes and nods slowly. "Of course."

It is at that moment that Sakura chose to wake up. Aiba insists that Sakura should rest for a while, but they decline the offer and opt to leave the village; Fai being the most insistent. Kurogane does not sleep early that night. He waits for the mage to sleep and wake up, and the mage does so at around midnight, screaming _Fai _again and again in a harsh voice. Kurogane has a glass of water by his bedside, so he wakes the mage up and gives him the glass. The next morning, they pretend nothing happened.

He also tells the twins about the feather the next morning, before he reports to Louie for the day.

"You mean, you told him about the feather?" Fai turns to his twin in surprise after Kurogane tells them that they already got the feather back. "Are you crazy?"

"They got the feather, didn't they? The village is safe." Yuui tells his twin. "How was the village, Mr. Kurowane?"

"It's not hidden." Kurogane had to stop himself from adding idiot to the sentence; the least he could do to show his appreciation of the brat is to not curse him for the day. "We entered the village, but there was no one around. Turns out they cast a spell on us so we wouldn't see any villager."

"Eh?" Both twins turn to him, surprised. Then they both turn to each other with worry in their eyes. "But didn't father say that the casting-a-spell-defense is the last resort of the defense, when someone manages to open the gate?" Yuui asks his twin. His twin nods.

"That's how it was when we went there. Why ask me?" Kurogane asks, annoyed. But he is surprised, too – the twins mentioned their dad in front of him, when they normally don't even want to talk about it. "The village chief seems to know you. Did you come from the village?"

Both twins jerk their heads to his direction. It was then Yuui's turn to ask if Kurogane lost his mind to mention them in the village.

"I did not say anything, but the village chief can read minds."

"No, grandfather cannot read minds." Fai says, his lips forming a pout and his eye brows meeting at the center. "He can heal, but he cannot read minds."

It was Kurogane's turn to raise his eyebrows. "You mean the _late great elder_ that Aiba is talking about?"

"Wait, so Mr. Aiba is the current village chief? What happened to the one before him?" Yuui asks.

"Aiba said that he was captured a few months ago, and the mage said he was killed a few weeks ago."

Silence ensues. Kurogane almost regrets telling the twins of the news, but they have to know about it, somehow. Then again, he was never good at showing his sympathy for others. He apologizes to the twins, mumbling his words and blushing while doing so, and Fai tells him it's okay, and thanks him for telling the both of them. Yuui stays silent. He is thinking about starting his chores already when Yuui speaks. "Ne, Mr. Kurowane. Did you know that there was a tall, bearded man who visited the orphanage yesterday? He has weird hair, too."

"I wasn't even here."

Yuui pouts. "I was just telling you. That man; I heard he visited the orphanage to look for someone he could adopt. But I don't trust him, Mr. Kurowane. He looks suspicious."

Kurogane turns to Yuui to find out what kind of demon is possessing the brat (and his twin, for that matter) so the brat would go talk to him about his emotions, but he sees instead a very serious Yuui, one without a glint of joy in his eyes. "So why are you telling me that?"

"Well, so you can keep your eyes open for him, in case he visits again today. He has powerful magic, and he does not even bother to hide it."

Kurogane nods and resumes his job. He also keeps watch of visitors in the orphanage,too, but no one came that day.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

"Ne, Kuro-pii, can you wash the dishes for me? We won't have any utensils to use for dinner." The mage sing-songs from downstairs amidst the sizzling oil from the pan and the howling winds.

"Why don't you do it?" Snaps Kurogane. He slams his shovel on the pot of soil and retorts the loudest he can. "You ask me to water your damn plants and transfer them to damn pots during a damn storm, and you still expect me to wash your damn dishes?"

He hears the mage's giggles. "Oh, the puppy is mad! It's barking!"

"Shut up! I'm not supposed to be doing this on my day off!" Day off it is. Louie gave him a rare day off, so he thought he can relax. But it turns out to be the mage's day off, too, and the mage made him do all chores possible, the latest of which is transferring the stupid plants from the rooftop to the second floor (they will freeze to death in this storm, Kuro-pin!) and transferring them to other pots (If you don't do that, Kuro-pin, their roots clog each other and they will absorb water less efficiently). Which will spill soil on the floor, which, of course, the mage will make him clean. It's more bearable to deal with the kids – at least they will stop when he glares at them. The mage would just laugh at him and tease him more.

And laugh the mage does. "Okay, I'm doing it after I cook, but you wash the dishes after dinner."

"Like hell I would!" He retorts. Someday, he's going to kill the mage.

Kurogane hears the mage singing amidst the howling winter storm. The ninja lets him, though; Kurogane figures that singing out loud should calm his nerves.

The idiot is never the same since they came from the village, and everyone noticed it, even the usually oblivious princess. He goes to work early and arrives really late; sometimes missing out dinner and heading straight to bed, in which he gets nightmares often. Kurogane noticed that the mage is restless, too – the ninja and the mage went to the market a while ago, and during the travel, the mage kept on looking at the people around him. And now that he does not have the manjuu to talk idly to, since the manjuu, the kid, and the princess went searching for the feather, the idiot is now focusing all his energy in making Kurogane's life miserable.

A doorbell chime distracts the mage's song. "Get the door, Kuro-puu! It might be the kids!"

"Why don't you get it? You're nearer the door!"

"But I'm cooking!" The mage's whiny voice floats through the two-story apartment.

"And I'm fixing your plants. Get it, mage." Kurogane says in a straight tone.

He hears the mage's footsteps, quickly followed by a "Welcome home~!" What he does not expect, though, is the silence that follows.

"Mage?" It's been ten seconds of hearing nothing but the sizzling oil. "Who's there?" When he receives no reply, he goes downstairs.

He sees three blonde heads by the doorway.

"Mister?" Fai calls out from the doorway. Kurogane cannot see the brat clearly, since the mage's unmoving back is blocking his sight.

He sprints downstairs, taking two steps at a time, and reaches the doorway before the soaked wet twins can get in. He gives the mage a swift look, and sees that the mage could have well been left frozen outside – blue lips, pale, cold, clammy skin; the mage could probably collapse any minute. He grabs the mage by the elbow before the mage can topple over the couch and screams at the twins. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Kurowane!" Yuui rushes towards Kurogane and hugs him on his waist. The twin starts sobbing the instant he hides his face in Kurogane's torso. The other twin then bows his head. Kurogane can see Fai's chin trembling and a tear trickling down the cheek.

"What happened?"

"Someone-" Fai pauses to hold back a sob and wipe a trickling tear from his left cheek. "-wants to adopt Yuui, Mister. Only Yuui."

"What?" It takes a while before Kurogane can process what the brat said. "Louie allowed it?"

"We don't know. We left as soon as we overheard it." Fai's muffled voice says. His twin remains silently sobbing while hugging Kurogane.

"Y-you're s-soaking w-wet." The mage stutters. He gets off Kurogane's grip and nearly stumbles towards the stairs. "Get in. I-I... I'll get some towels to get you both warm."

Fai follows the mage with his eyes before stepping in. "Is it fine if we stay the night here?"

"What the hell are you doing here, anyway?" Kurogane asks. He tries pushing Yuui off him, but the brat is holding onto him too tight, so he drags the brat with him to the doorway so he can close the door. "Louie must be looking for you."

"I don't want to see him, EVER!" Yuui suddenly cries out loud; his muffled voice still loud enough to shatter the apartment's silence.

"Yuui!" Fai reprimands his twin. He turns back to Kurogane. "Mister, please let us stay. Please."

The mage shows up with his and Kurogane's towels and two of his shirts. He gives Fai a towel and a green shirt. "Here. Make yourself dry before changing to this shirt." His voice is still shaking, but he has pretty much regained as much composure as he could. He gives Yuui another set of towel and shirt.

"Thank you." Fai says. He spreads the towel and dries himself. Yuui follows suit, but he still keeps his head bowed and never uttered a word.

"You ran away?" Kurogane asks, his arms crossed in front of him.

"We don't know what to do, Mister. Louie can't separate us!" The brat starts crying again.

"So you ran away in the middle of a winter storm." Hopeless brats.

"Let them stay for the night." Kurogane had to turn to the mage when he spoke. The mage is preventing his voice from croaking by keeping his voice soft.

"Of course; I can't get them back the orphanage in this storm. But I'm telling Louie."

"Don't tell him!" Fai snaps before Kurogane can start to walk towards the telephone. "He'll get us back!"

"He might think something bad happened to you. Let go, Yuui."

The brat still does not budge, instead responding to the request by hugging Kurogane's torso tighter. Kurogane drags the brat with him towards the telephone stand, but the brat is making things harder by planting his feet on the ground. So begins a one-sided tug of war, which the ninja wins, of course. When they reach the telephone, Yuui gives up. His hold gets loose until he finally lets go and slumps on a nearby chair.

Fai rushes to Yuui's side. "Can't you really keep it a secret, Mister?" His voice falters as it gives way to a sob.

Kurogane can feel a tight knot in his throat form after he looks at the twins – one of them slumped on the chair, while the other staring at him with shining eyes on the brink of tears. It is the first time that he felt torn between doing his job and not.

The ninja turns to the mage in the hope that he could help the ninja decide. Their eyes meet. The mage's eyes are shining, too, and when he notices the ninja staring at him, he gives one helpless, almost pleading look, before turning away and returning to the kitchen.

Kurogane tries to think through it. If he helps the twins escape, he would have to either take the brats with him on the journey through worlds or help them get away from the orphanage and leave them in this world. Even though dealing with three mages can be tedious, it is not the main reason why the twins cannot go with them. The witch will ask for a price, and the twins don't seem to have anything left with them but each other. If the witch should ask for something precious, it might be the very thing that they are protecting. And they're too young to go through different worlds. What if they arrive in a world separately, just like what happened in Yasha?

He does not know where to bring the twins in this world, either. Maybe he could bring them back to their village, but it seems like neither the village people nor the twins would like it. No one in their group knows someone in this world to keep the twins. He saw some children in the streets a while, too, some even younger than the twins. But he gives one swift look at the twins' thin bodies and pale skin, and he knows that they cannot survive living in the streets.

He decides to tell Louie. "I have to tell Louie." He says in a voice too low it surprises him. "He won't allow it, anyway. He knows that you don't want to be separated." He turns to the telephone at that instant, choosing not to see the twins cry and zoning out their silent sobs, opting the phone's monotone instead. The phone rings once, twice, thrice.

Louie's airy, croaky voice answers. "Good evening. This is th-"

"The twins are here." Kurogane does not let Louie finish.

"What? Oh... is this Mr. Kurogane?"

"Yes. They showed up in our doorstep a while ago, and they won't stop crying until now."

"It's good to hear they're safe." Louie says. An awkward silence develops in their conversation, so he clears his throat and continues. "Someone came here a while ago. He wants to adopt only Yuui. Well..." Kurogane hears a puff of breath; he can well imagine Louie rubbing his nape or loosening his collar. "the twins heard it, and they ran away. Angel and I ran after them, but they ran so fast... Will you please take care of them this night, Mr. Kurogane?"

Kurogane nods, completely forgetting he's talking in the phone. "There's a storm outside right now, so I can't send them back. What did you tell the guy who wanted to adopt Yuui?" From his side vision, he sees the twins jerk their heads up to him.

He hears a sigh on the other end of the line. "I know how the twins feel about it, so I told him that he might want to consider adopting Yuui's twin as well. But he's persistent – he wants only Yuui. I asked him to reconsider it, but..."

"But what?" He snaps. He turns his head a bit and sees the mage back at the living room, listening to every word he says. Three pairs of blue eyes are staring at him.

"Well, he said he'll be back. I hope he'll change his decision by then." Louie says. "Oh, I have to tell the policemen that the twins are found. Thank you, and I'm sorry for the trouble. Bye." There is dead silence first, then another set of monotone beeps.

"But what?" The mage asks as soon as Kurogane puts the phone down.

"The guy hasn't decided yet. He'll be back." Kurogane answers. The mage nods and goes back to cooking, but he gives Kurogane a stern look before going back to the kitchen. _'We'll talk later.' _The mage is telling him, and one look is enough. Apparently, the mage is over his shock and has now realized that the ninja knew about the world's twins and did not inform him.

He is watching the mage's back when a twin tugs at his pants. "So it's not yet final, Mister?"

He nods without a word.

Something tells him that the twins will be separated, and one proof is that they only have one mage in their group. He keeps his silence about it and tries to think of a rational excuse – not everything that happens in one world will happen in another. The people only have the same souls, but can have different personalities, and different lifestyles as well. But something is still bugging him (the location of their mage's twin, to be specific, and the mage refusing to go back to his original world), which he chooses to ignore for the moment. "Get your towels and your wet clothes, and follow me upstairs." He tells the twins.

Fai nods and starts gathering their towels when he notices that his twin is still not moving from the floor. He pulls Yuui by the arm, but the latter is determined on remaining slumped. "Come on, Yuui, get up!" Fai finally says after trying to pull him a couple of times. Yuui budges after much prodding, and the three of them goes upstairs. Kurogane can still feel the mage's stare at his back.

Kurogane points to his and the mage's bedroom door. "Put the towels and your clothes on the basket behind that door." The older twin does, while the younger twin follows him to where he left the pots.

He sits back to his previous spot and starts to burrowing the soil again when Yuui speaks. "Mr. Kurowane," he starts. "Can't we just travel with you, please?"

Kurogane stares at Yuui. He puts the shovel back down the floor before realizing what he was doing. He decides to let it stay there; picking it up right after putting it down would make him look awkward. "It's not an ordinary journey." He pauses; trying to grasp more words. "I told you about the dragons, didn't I?"

"We can deal with that. But that's not the point. You're not convinced that the guy will change his mind, are you?"

Some brats are just too smart.

Fai's smiling face pops out beside Yuui's sullen one. "Ne, Mister. That room where I put the towels and clothes, is that your room?"

Kurogane nods. He picks up the shovel and goes back to transferring soil in the cactus pots.

Fai sits on the floor beside Yuui and leans to Kurogane and the pots. "There are two beds. Is there anyone else who sleeps who sleeps in that room?"

"The one who opened the door for you."

"Oh." Fai's smile falls in an instant. Then, he adds in a hushed voice. "He's not glad that we're here, is he? He seemed angry a while ago."

Kurogane raises an eyebrow. He does not expect Fai to realize the mage's anger, but then again, they have the same soul, so perhaps it's easier to find out. He shakes his head. "He's not angry at you."

"What's his name?" Fai asks after a while. When the twin does not receive a reply, he explains himself. "Well, I was thinking of apologizing to him for this trouble. So he won't get angry at you, too, if he is, since we are from the orphanage you work for..." His voice fades when he realizes he is rambling, and the ninja is staring at him like he grew an extra eye.

"Fai." Kurogane finally says after a while.

"What... His name is Fai?" Yuui's head shot up at once. "Just like Fai? He looks like us, too! Is he the mage that you know?"

Kurogane nods. The twins' silence made him raise his gaze, and he is met by Fai's skeptic one and Yuui's _suspicious_ one.

Yuui is the first to speak. "Are you traveling through time"

Fai jerks to his twin's direction. "Can anyone travel through time? What..."

"I was thinking if that Fai is a grown up version of you. It's too coincidental to meet someone with the same name and the same face as you have, and he has magic powers like you, too. Traveling through time is not impossible too, you know. With our magic power, we can probably do it. Especially if we get as old as Mr. Fai downstairs." The more Yuui talked, the more he seems to be more convinced with what he is saying. He slumps and sighs.

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Fai asks.

"Does he have a twin?" Yuui turns to Kurogane. His eyes are narrow and observant, having a look too _accusing_ to be a child's. _You knew, didn't you? _The brat didn't have to speak; Kurogane can hear everything he needs to hear by the child's eyes.

He is torn between admiring and being wary of the kid's intellect. The brat is in a parallel line of thinking as he is! "He never said anything about having a twin, but he came from a cold place far away from here."

Fai does not catch on the silent conversation. He nods with a grin on his face. "See? He did not come from here, and he does not have a twin. That means we're just similar by chance."

Yuui ignores his twin and continues staring at Kurogane.

It became very silent, so much that he can hear every sound from downstairs. He can hear the mage washing the dishes (the porcelain clink is very clear in the silent house), the doorbell and its echo, the shuffle of the mage's slippers and the door opening, which is followed by footsteps and sighs of relief bursting in.

"The storm is really bad~!" He hears Mokona cry from downstairs. The princess and the kid agrees. The mage ushers them inside and tells them that they have 'visitors from the orphanage'. He notes the mage's soft voice

"Really?" Mokona squeals. Kurogane can well imagine her swirling on the princess' shoulder. "It must be Kuro-daddy's favorite kid! I want to meet them!"

"They went upstairs." The mage says. Soon after, he hears fast footsteps heading upstairs.

He feels both twins edge to his side as the kid's and the princess' steps get nearer. The princess' head bobs up first, and a soft white ball sitting on her shoulder follows. When he looks over his shoulders, he sees that both twins are hiding the best they could, each having half of their faces behind his back.

"There are two of them!" Mokona gushes, but when she takes a closer look, she gasps. She hops over to the twins' area to get a closer look. Sakura and Syaoran walks behind her. "Is one of you named Fai?" She asks.

Kurogane can feel one of the twins' heads nod. "My name is Fai." The twin on his right says softly. "My younger brother is Yuui."

"Yuui..." Sakura and Syaoran repeat in unison. Both of them give Kurogane a _questioning _look then. He chooses to ignore it. Soon, all of them are staring at him – the kid, the princess, and the manjuu giving him a questioning and a somehow _dirty _look, while the twins stare at him with nothing else to stare at.

"Hello, Fai and Yuui." Mokona finally says after a considerable time of silence. "My name's Mokona, and this is Syaoran and Sakura." She says. Kurogane notes the quieter than normal voice that the manjuu is using.

Fai does his best to smile politely at her. "Pardon me, but... _what are you_?"

"She's made by magic, Fai." Yuui answers his twin's question. He crawls over to where Mokona is and leans forward. "Amazing. You can move on your own, can't you? Without your master's orders?"

"Yes." Mokona nods. She walks nearer to Yuui.

"So she can think on her own..." Fai adds softly.

Kurogane smirks. "No, that manjuu can't think."

"Kuro-daddy is so mean~~~!" Mokona whines. The kid and the princess giggle nervously, and Fai is trying his hard not to.

Yuui, on the other hand, is still transfixed with Mokona. He leans forward and continues studying her closer, completely oblivious to Kurogane's comment and the surrounding giggles. "It's not only that, Fai!" He adds, his voice higher than usual and with eyes glinting with delight. "She has her own magic!"

The giggling stops and everyone turns to Yuui. The brat, though, is still unaware of the attention given to him and is now prodding the jewel on the manjuu's head. "You have your own magic, don't you? Magic that's yours and not your master's? And you can use it by yourself, without your master's command, right?"

Mokona nods. "Yes, I can use magic." Suddenly, she is lifted from Kurogane's leg and she finds herself sitting on Yuui's lap.

"Wow..." Yuui whispers to himself. He pulls both of Mokona's ears upward, raises both the manjuu's hands in the air, and fiddles with the jewel on the manjuu's head.

"Hey, that tickles!" The manjuu manages to say in between giggles.

"I've never seen something _living _made by magic! And you have magic by yourself, too! What spells were used to make you? I think it-" Finally feeling the stares he is receiving, Yuui looks up and sees the open mouths of the people looking at him. He immediately gives Mokona to Fai and bows his head to cover his blush. "I'm sorry." Beside him is his twin suppressing some giggles.

"It's fine. The manjuu thrives on attention." Kurogane says.

"Kuro-daddy's right; it's fine with Mokona. Mokona _is_ everyone's idol." The manjuu beams. "It can't be helped if someone admires Mokona."

Just then, Kurogane sees a movement from his peripheral view. The ninja looks up and sees the mage by the staircase, hesitating to come nearer. The others, still surprised with Yuui's excitement, does not notice him. He does not notice Kurogane either; he is staring at the twins.

Sakura leans forward to the twins. "You have magic too, then?"

Yuui jerks his head to Fai, his eyes wide with horror.

Mokona hops to Yuui's shoulder. "It's okay, there's no need to be scared. Everybody here knows about magic, so no one would tell."

Yuui's brows move closer together and his lips pout the slightest when Mokona finishes. He turns to his twin.

Fai gives his twin a smile and a nod. "I think they won't tell, Yuui. But," He turns to Mokona. "How come no one asked what you are? "

Mokona puts a finger near her lips. "I don't know, too."

"I think people here assume that Mokona is an animal from a far away place." The mage says from the top step of the stairs. He does not approach; Kurogane can see his knuckles getting white from the tight grip in the staircase handle. "Better than believing it's a magical creature and being scared of it, don't you think?" He smiles at his namesake, who is busy deciding whether to look back or not. "Well, dinner's ready. Let's all eat the food before it gets cold."

Everyone agrees. The manjuu and the princess lead the twins; the manjuu with Yuui while the princess holding both the twin's hands. The mage, with a frozen smile on his face, watches as the twins pass him by on their way to the stairs. Fai keeps his head bowed and avoids the mage's gaze while Yuui openly stares at the mage, clearly scrutinizing the mage from head to toe.

The kid walks behind them, and whispers to the mage on his way down. "I didn't know you had a twin, Fai-san." He says.

The mage keeps his smile in place, even after Syaoran goes downstairs and Kurogane passes by.

The aroma of chicken greets Kurogane as he steps into the dining room. He steps closer to the table and sees a chicken feast – chicken noodle soup, fried chicken, and chicken salad. There are mashed potatoes on every plate and on the center is a heap of deep fried potatoes sliced vertically. There is also half a tray of brownies on the corner, with a bunch of bananas beside it.

He hears both twins gasp. "Wow, Mister, do you really eat dinner like this everyday?" Fai whispers to him.

"No." He says. He turns to the mage, and sees that the mage is still maintaining his frozen smile. They meet in the eye, but the mage closes his eyes as soon as they do.

"Since we have visitors today," the mage starts; he probably heard the twin since he is just a few steps from them. "I figured that I should make us a nice dinner." He then invites the twins to sit. Fai takes the seat on the princess' left side, and Yuui takes the seat between Fai and Kurogane.

Mokona is the first to dig in, as per usual, and is followed by the kid asking the princess what she wants for dinner. When he notices that the twins are not getting any food, Kurogane does it for them – he gets Fai a small portion of all things chicken while he gives Yuui some soup and fried chicken. When he is reaching for his own dinner, he feels something tugging at his right elbow so he turns to the younger twin, and sees him motioning for some brownie.

"Ch' Eat your dinner first."

Yuui pouts, but he does anyway.

So everybody eats – the manjuu having tons of everything, the princess having a bit of salad and some chicken soup, the kid having two pieces of fried chicken and some fried potatoes, and the mage having soup, fried chicken, and two pieces of brownies on his plate.

The kid starts speaking about the day's search, which was unfruitful. "We cannot find any powerful sources right now." He starts. "Though we heard that the device that the government uses to suppress magic uses powerful sources, too. We still don't know if it's a feather or not."

"A powerful source, ne?" The mage pauses from eating his dinner. "It can be the feather."

Kurogane was thinking of asking the kid if they know where the device is when he feels another tug at his right. He turns and sees that the younger twin is leaning towards him.

"Ne, Mr. Kurowane, how come you talk about feathers and magic here?" Yuui whispers. "Isn't that dangerous?" He asks. Fai is sitting on Yuui's other side, so he cannot ask Kurogane, but his eyes convey the same question. On the table, Syaoran is talking and the manjuu and the princess are listening, but Kurogane can feel the mage's stare.

"It's fine. Everyone of us are looking for it, so no one here would bail anyone out." He says.

The twins still look at him questioningly, but they do not ask any more questions, and chose instead to eat their dinner. It isn't everyday they get to eat a meal like this one.

Kurogane falls back into the conversation. The kid is saying that they will focus their search on the government's magic suppressor, if the weather permits it tomorrow. The ninja suggests that they take a break tomorrow, since they have been searching for the feathers for two weeks straight, and besides, the weather looks like it won't cooperate any more than it did today. The kid was about to decline, when the mage says that the princess might be tired, too. That pretty much did the kid in, even though the princess declines and says that she is still not tired. Conversation declines steadily to silence, and pretty soon, everyone is done eating.

Fai fixes the dinner table (after Kurogane gets a brownie for a persistent Yuui), and the ninja decides to lead the twins upstairs to sleep. The manjuu and the kid follow them upstairs, while Sakura stays back to help the mage with washing the dishes. On the way upstairs, Mokona keeps bugging Kurogane on how he differentiates the twins, on which the ninja cannot reply anything of help to the manjuu. The manjuu then bugs Kurogane that she wants to sleep with the twins, which the ninja dismisses. The twins and Kurogane are left in the room after the kid pulls the manjuu out of the room, telling her that the children must be tired and need to sleep.

"The bed on the right is mine." He tells the twins after the kid and the manjuu left the room. "You can share on that one."

"Where will you sleep, Mister?" Fai asks.

"I'm using the couch downstairs, so you're sharing the room with the mage. You better behave yourselves." He says. He is about to open the door and leave when one of the twins protest.

"Wait, Mr. Kurowane! We'll be the ones to sleep on the couch." Yuui says.

Kurogane can feel his eyebrow raise. "Ch'. It's too cold tonight." He is about to get out of the room when two small hands grab both his arms.

"Really, Mister." Fai starts. "We're sorry for barging in like this, and we don't want to cause any more problems more than we already did. Please sleep on your bed."

Kurogane suppresses a groan. "You'll get sick if you sleep on the couch, and Louie will make me tend to you. So shut up and go to sleep."

But the twins persist. So they stand by the doorway, the three of them pulling at each other – the twins pulling at Kurogane's arms, and Kurogane prying the twins' hands away. They are standing still on their mini-struggle when the door opens, revealing a mage who pauses upon seeing them. The twins drop their arms and give way to the mage.

The mage goes in after a few moment's hesitation. "Seems like your kids want to sleep with you, Kuro-daddy." He says. He still has his stupid frozen smile on. He gets one of the pillows in his bed before going back to the doorway. "You can use my bed, but I'll take one of the pillows, okay?"

Fai's blush rises up to his cheeks. "No, Mr. Fai, please don't! Mister here is offering his bed for us, but he'll sleep on the couch..." His voice fades, and he bows his head. "We're really sorry for bothering everyone; we know our arrival wasn't expected. So please don't mind us and do as you always do."

There was an uneasy silence in the room, and the mage is the one who breaks it. He approaches Fai with a smile that is the closest to genuine than any of the smiles he wore for the evening. "It's not everyday we get guests, so when we have some, we'd like to treat them nicely. Please use my bed. Besides, if you sleep on the couch, you'll get sick."

Kurogane quickly interjects. "They're my responsibility, so they're taking my bed. You sleep in yours; I'm taking the couch.."

His and the mage's eyes meet, and when they do, the mage closes his eyes again and smiles his frozen smile again. "They might be uncomfortable sharing the room with me. It's better if Kuro-daddy will stay with them for the night, in case one of them gets a nightmare." His tone is stern, and Kurogane knows that once they get to _talk, _he will have to deal with an angry mage.

In any case, the mage seems determined to let the ninja sleep with the twins, so he lets the mage sleep on the couch. He does not want to aggravate the mage further. The twins protest meekly; perhaps both are skeptical with sleeping with anyone other than the ninja. He offers his blanket to the mage, though. The mage glares at him when he does, saying he doesn't need any blankets and he's used to the cold, but he asserts that he will sleep in the couch if the mage won't use his blanket. The mage gets the blanket from him and stomps off downstairs. In any case, the twins are sleeping on the mage's bed when total silence engulfs the house.

This silence is disturbed when the clock strikes one. Kurogane looks around for the source of the noise and sees one of the twins trashing around and another still in the process of trying to wake up. He stands and walks to the twin's bed. "Yuui, wake up." He says softly but firmly. He shakes the twin's shoulder four times before Yuui opens his eyes.

Yuui cocoons himself in the mage's blanket after he opens his eyes. His twin has by then fully regained his whole consciousness. "Did he have a nightmare?" His twin asks in a soft voice.

"Yes. Go back to sleep, I'll get water for him." Kurogane says.

The rest of the house is still in sleep as well. Kurogane is surprised to find himself relieved that no one seems to be stirred from sleep because of Yuui's screams. He takes a peak in the kid's and the princess's room and sees that both are still asleep; the kid even snoring. It takes the ninja a few seconds to see the manjuu sleeping by the princess' side. Satisfied by what he saw, the ninja then gets a glass of water. Yuui drinks it. Both twins have slipped back to their beds when Kurogane goes downstairs to return the glass of water.

He is walking down the stairs to return the empty glass when he hears a soft voice from the direction of the living room. "Did one of the twins get a nightmare?"

Kurogane sees the mage sitting on the couch, a pillow sitting on the mage's lap. The light of the living room is turned off so the ninja can not see very well. He can see the mage's blue, shiny eyes, though, with the sharp glare in them. "Yes."

"Yuui." The mage whispers loud enough for the ninja to hear it. "It's Yuui, isn't it."

The moment that the mage gets up, Kurogane knew that he is up for a confrontation. The ninja turns towards the kitchen, solid with the intent return the empty glass.

"You've got some explaining to do." The mage's voice is steel cold, and so is the grip on the ninja's elbow.

Kurogane need not turn towards the voice to know it's an angry mage with an ice cold glare. The voice itself made tiny shivers run along his spine. "What about it?" He asks.

"_What about it?"_ The mage's pitch suddenly rises. "You did not tell me where my counterpart in this world is!" By then, his voice has become a hoarse, shaky whisper, and the cold grip on the ninja's elbow tightens. In the darkness, his blue eyes are glimmering with tears threatening to fall.

To say that Kurogane is surprised would be an understatement. He knows that the mage will be angry, but not almost-screaming angry like the mage is right now. Things are indeed striking too close to home for the mage; it's been the second time that the mage's mask broke in front of the ninja. He clears his throat before even realizing it. "If I told you, your nightmares would have worsened."

"_And what do you care about my nightmares?_" The mage already has trouble keeping his voice down. "_You kept my counterpart and my twin from me!_"

Kurogane is rendered speechless. Everything was so still for a moment; the tight grip on his elbow that is starting to hurt, the shimmering sharp blue eyes in the dark, the _rage _emanating from the mage, and the stillness of the night, only hearing the ticking of the night.

The mage, finally realizing that he's losing control, throws the ninja's arm away and turns back to the couch. But he freezes in his turn when his eyes land on the staircase. Kurogane follows his widened gaze and sees one of the twins in the middle of the staircase.

"S...sor-ry... I... I didn't..." Fai says, taking a step backwards without knowing it. He grips on the handle just in time; the next step he takes is a few centimeters lower than the stair step and he trips. Kurogane sees his blue eyes shimmer at the dim lighting. "Yuui's right... you are the future me." he whispers, but it is silent enough for all whispers to be heard.

Kurogane and the mage are frozen in their spots; it is still Fai who breaks the silence. "If you are the future me, where is the future Yuui?"

The brat strikes. When Kurogane turns to look at the mage, he sees a pale mage.

"I'm not." The mage whispers. A drop of tear trickles down his cheek. He wipes it away and tries to smile; it results to a lopsided grin. "I'm not the future you." He finally manages to say. He clears his throat and opens his mouth again, but no words come out.

The mage looks like he's about to cry in front of the confused twin, so Kurogane answers for him. "We travel through worlds. He's not the future you, but he has the same soul as you."

The twin still looks confused, but Kurogane is out of ideas on how to tell the twin. He is thinking of another way of explaining to Fai when the mage speaks up. "There are many worlds out there." He starts. "But the souls of the people who live in them are the same. You and I have the same soul, it's just that we live in different worlds."

Fai stares at the mage for a while, but his eyes show that he follows what the mage just said. After a moment, he asks. "So you came from another world?"

The mage nods. However, the closer Kurogane looks, the more he sees that there is something _wrong_, other than the fact that the mage looks like he's going to cry soon. The mage's eyes are glazed; something is just _wrong._ The mage is lying.

"You said _my twin_." Fai states, his eyes scrutinizing the mage as much as the ninja does; and something tells Kurogane that he also knows that the mage is somehow lying. "Can you also travel through time?"

"We did before." The mage says. "But this is not the world where I came from. Celes is extremely cold; it's winter there all year round. I..." The mage pauses, his lips breaking into a sad smile. "I just did not expect to see someone with the same soul as my twin."

Fai is convinced. He goes straight downstairs, his hands afraid to leave the railings, only letting go when he reaches the last step. He walks in front of the mage. "If you are my counterpart in your world, where is your Yuui?" He looks up to the mage and stares at him eye to eye.

The mage drops his gaze; and that simple gesture convinces Kurogane that he is telling a lie, one way or another. No one with a guilty conscience can look straight to Fai's direct and innocent gaze. "My twin is in Celes." The ninja notes that the mage did not even mention his twin's name. And if his twin is in Celes, then why does the mage not want to return to Celes?

"Why did you leave Yuui behind?" Fai's eyes and mouth becomes wider, drawing an audible gasp before he speaks. When he recovers, he speaks with so much conviction. "I'll never leave Yuui behind, no matter what happens."

And with this, the twin strikes his hardest blow. All the glimmer in the mage's eyes melts to tears and he cries freely, dropping to his knees and hugging the older twin around the shoulders. Strangely, Fai does not seem confused. Instead, he hugs back and soothes the mage by stroking his back.

The older twin catches on the mage and the ninja's taboo, because no one talks about it the next morning.

The weather is clear the next morning, and Kurogane drags both twins back to the orphanage. Both don't want to go back to the orphanage anymore – Yuui still has his theory solid in his mind, while Fai knows something is probably wrong after the mage's breakdown last night. Kurogane has his suspicions too – the mage is telling a lie embedded in the truth, just the way he always lies. So the three of them go back to the orphanage, each with his own suspicions in mind, to try to talk Louie out of Yuui's adoption. The mage gave him tips on how he can defend the twins – the twins have been through something emotional and they need each other right now, and someone who would really care for Yuui will adopt not only Yuui but also Fai – and he is using it on Louie right now.

"I know." Louie says when they march into his office first thing in the morning. "That's why I'm trying to convince him to adopt Fai as well. But it's very hard to do that; to adopt two children all of a sudden, especially at hard times like these. I promise I'll try my best to convince him to adopt both of them."

"Don't say you're _trying_." Kurogane barks at him. "Say you'll do it."

Louie stares at him for a while before answering. "But that's all I can do. I can't guarantee that he won't proceed with adopting both of them, but I will try my best so that both of them will be adopted."

Kurogane's voice suddenly gets louder. "You can do something. You _are_ the manager of this orphanage. You can reject his application."

"It's not that easy, Mr. Kurogane. I must reject his application based on capability to adopt children. I have the owner of this orphanage to answer to, and besides, the aim of the orphanage is to find homes for the children." He looks at Yuui.

"I have family. I have Fai." Yuui stares straight into the caretaker's eyes. Louie smiles at him gently. "Why does he like to adopt me, anyway? Can't he adopt someone else?"

"I don't know. I'll ask him about it." Louie says. "But... his eyes seem set on you. I don't know why."

It would have been silent if it wasn't for a wheezing breath. Kurogane turns to the older twin and sees him pale and fighting for his breath.

"Fai, are you alright?" Louie asks.

"Get his aspirator." The ninja turns to the younger twin, who then runs to their room.

Kurogane and Louie undergo a staring match, at least until Yuui arrives back to Louie's office and gives Fai the aspirator. The room remains silent as Fai tries to regain his respiration.

"Well then," Louie starts. "Sorry for bothering you to take care of the twins. You can start your day by taking them back to their rooms."

"No!" Yuui interrupts. "We want to stay with Mister Kurowane!" Beside him, his twin nods.

Louie looks at the twins in disbelief. "But you can't."

"Yes we can! I don't want to stay here! I don't want to get adopted!" Yuui starts screaming in a shrill voice. "I'm not staying in a place that wants to separate me and Fai!"

It was getting out of control, and Fai decides to join his twin. That was when Louie decides to give Kurogane temporary custody for the twins. ('They seem closer to you,' Kurogane remembers Louie saying it with a soft smile 'and they seem to trust you, so I think you can help them heal more than we can, at least before we find a family for them') That was why a few minutes after going to the orphanage with the twins, Kurogane is going back home with two big bags and two brats.

The princess couldn't have been more delighted. She immediately gets the twins from his hands and tells him that he can go back to work. The manjuu kept bouncing on both brats' heads and tells the twins that they are actually family, with Kuro-daddy and Fai-mommy, and now they have new members. Kurogane leaves before he can do something bad to the manjuu.

The first brat who knew about the custody was Justine. "So, the you took custody of the twins?"

Kurogane walks straightly, passing him by. "It's temporary." He quips.

"Why?"

Kurogane stops and turns to the brat. "What 'why'?"

"Why do you care so much about them?" Justine asks. And, suddenly, he takes off.

After that, the day came along as it usually does, except that there are no more twins following him around. When he arrives home, the twins welcome him and take off his coat. Later that evening, the three of them sleep on his and the mage's room, while the mage sleeps on the couch.

No, The Orphanage is not yet dead.

It's just five effin months late. _

I was having a hard time writing the latter part, and after having it sit for four months on my laptop, I decided to cut it right where I stopped writing it. :)) Guess which part that was.. :P

Hmmm... and the seventh chapter is underway.

Well, just so regular readers know, I already have this thing outlined, and I'm targetting it to be ten chapters long. :D We're more than halfway along. :D I've started the seventh chapter, and hopefully I finish it before June, which is when students go back to school at this part of the world. Wish me luck (^_^)V! Because I seriously want to finish this fanfic.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kurogane wakes up with two giggling blonde heads peeking over his pillow. He has been doing so for the past two weeks.

"Good morning, Mister!" A blonde head peeks from the edge of his bed. The twin beside giggles.

"Morning." He replies "What the hell are the two of you doing awake so early?"

"We got used to it. We already have your clothes ready, Mr. Kurowane! What do you like better, this green shirt or red?" On the twins' (mage's) bed are a pair of jeans, a pair of socks, and his watch. A closer inspection reveals a silver dragon necklace.

"Where did that come from?" He points at the silver necklace.

"We went to the market with Ms. Sakura yesterday, when she bought food. She asked us what we want, and we saw this on the stall, so we got it for you."

"Pointless." He mumbles. He gets his towel and starts walking to the shower.

"Hmm... you're wearing this white shirt today, okay?" Yuui says. He pulls out a white shirt from Kuro's closet. He lays it beside the jeans. "We'll help Mr. Fai cook breakfast. Be sure to wear that." He beams and rushes to the door. His twin is already there, and they both leave the room.

Kurogane hears their footsteps going downstairs. He rolls his eyes and goes to the bath, muttering that he doesn't need to dress up for a day of taking care of brats. But when he goes down to eat breakfast, he is wearing a white shirt, blue jeans, rubber shoes, a wristwatch, and a silver dragon necklace. Yuui and the manjuu are preparing the table when he enters the dining room.

He was about to enter the kitchen to get himself a drink when Yuui's hand clamps on his wrist and he was dragged to the wall beside the door. "Ssh!" The brat places a finger over the mouth, and then peeks over the wall.

The two Fai's are inside; older Fai by the stove and younger Fai fidgeting with a silver necklace. Kurogane looks closer and sees it is a phoenix.

"You think this soup's sour enough, Fai-chan?"

The younger Fai jerks his head up. "Um, yeah, I think so."

The mage laughs. "You haven't even tasted it! Are you alright?"

"Um, yes, um... Mr. Fai?"

"Hmm?"

"Um..." He plays with the necklace before showing it to the mage. "We got this for you." He offered the necklace with his two hands.

The mage places his spoon gently on the dish. He smiles and strokes Fai's hair. "Thank you." He gets the necklace – by the pendant first, and then scooping up the silver chins by the cup of his other hand. "It's beautiful. Thanks. Hmm... where shall I put it?"

"You're not wearing it?" The younger Fai's eyebrows form a worried curve.

"If I wear it, it might get lost." He traces the phoenix pendant in his hand before carefully sliding it to the front pocket of his waiter uniform. "The soup's ready, Fai-chan."

"Uh, yeah." The younger Fai trails after the older one. He gets a serving bowl, and the mage pours the steaming soup into it.

"What's the big deal with the necklaces?" Kurogane asks the brat beside him.

"Well, it's a thank you gift. Thanks for letting us stay, you know. And I don't know... Mister Fai sort of likes Fai more than me. So maybe it's a good idea to let him give that one."

Kurogane noticed it too. The mage visibly brightens up when the older twin is around, which is terribly weird. Wasn't the mage supposed to like Yuui more? He never knew that a man as vain ever existed. Said man walks out of the kitchen with a bowl and says good morning to him. He replies with a grunt.

On the dining table, the princess is fixing the plates and the utensils. She has taken the habit of waking earlier than usual because of the twins, and so the the kid does not need to wait for her. She smiles when she sees the twins. "Good morning! How was your sleep?"

"Good morning, Ms. Sakura_. _It was fine, no nightmare for Yuui." Fai says. He gets the remaining utensils in the princess' hands and distributes it over the plates, over the princess' protests.

"What's my nightmares got to do with it?" Yuui asks his twin, who smiles cheekily at him. "How was your sleep, Ms. Sakura?"

"Me? Oh, I slept tight. But it's nothing really new, I usually sleep heavily."

"She does!" Mokona butts in. "Sometimes she rolls! Sakura-chan's really cute!"

Everyone, except Kurogane, has a hearty laugh at this. The princess blushes, but she laughs, too. The mage then moves to get the loaf of bread in the kitchen, but Fai runs towards it, saying he'll get it. Yuui then gets the remaining chicken salad from the refrigerator (Fai's favorite, though Kurogane never knew. The mage did, though, but Kurogane wonders about it because the mage himself never seemed to like chicken salad) and then asks the mage if there are any brownies left. The mage responds by getting a freshly-baked chocolate cake from the oven. It was gone after breakfast. Half of it was eaten by the mage and the younger twin, while the remaining half, they loaded in the others' plates. Kurogane was strapped in his chair by the younger twin and the mage while Mokona shoves his slice of cake in his mouth. He'll get them by dinner.

After brushing his teeth to get the taste of the stupid cake off his mouth, Kurogane and the mage go to their respective jobs. The manjuu and the kid look for another feather, as they have been doing so for the last week. The princess stays with the twins at home. She's been really enjoying it. Kurogane figures that the princess just might enjoy taking care of the remaining brats at the orphanage.

He sees Louie the moment he steps foot in the orphanage, and he knows something is wrong by the way the head caretaker pulled his sleeve and asked to converse in a quieter place.

"Is it Yuui's adoption?"

Louie nods. He massages the bridge of his nose. "He's pushing through with it, and nothing I can do can stop him. I can't make him adopt the other twin, either."

Kurogane feels his anger rising. "Then don't approve of his adoption. It's one of your powers."

"You're either ignorant or suicidal to reject someone like Fei Wong Reed!" Louie's voice rose, the first time Kurogane ever witnessed in the few months he worked with the guy. He was walking, stomping back and forth across his small office. "It was never a question of the approval of adoption. It was whether I could persuade him to adopt the other twin as well. What I don't understand is why he won't adopt the _two_ of them. He can definitely afford raising up two kids. And I don't think he would be the one to look after Yuui, either. He'll definitely hire someone else. So what's the problem of hiring two babysitters instead of one, for someone like him?"

"Who is he?"

Louie stops his frantic walk to stare at Kurogane. "Are you serious?" When Kurogane remains silent, he explains. "Fei Wong is a trusted man of the president. You cannot survive saying 'no' to him, Mister Kurogane. It's suicide. Once I say 'no' to him, I'm closing off this orphanage. And he'll still probably get what he wants, so it's of no use."

_Shit_. "Do you know what he wants to do with Yuui?"

"Adopt him, of course. Maybe he wants to have a child right at this moment. His wife died without leaving him a child, around a decade ago." Louie sighs. "I need you to get the twins ready, Mr. Kurogane. He'll drop by tomorrow to get Yuui. He said he can't postpone it since he has to leave tomorrow for a business trip. I suppose you can take the day off in the orphanage and get Yuui ready, instead."

It was then that Kurogane knew that the twin's fate rests on his hands. He stayed during the morning for some repairs. By lunch time, he was headed to the mage.

The mage was listing orders when he arrives. When their eyes met, the mage raised a hand to him before going to another table. He waited for a few minutes before said mage approaches him.

The mage approaches him with a smile. "Good day sir, what can I do for you?"

"The guy who wants to adopt Yuui will get him tomorrow morning." It was enough to remove the mage's smile. "He works for the president." He adds.

The mage's eyes widen. "The _president_?"

"Yes." He look around to make sure that no one is listening. "The head of the government. This is the only time the kids-"

"We'd be messing with this world if we do that." The mage interrupts him. "If we weren't here, the adoption would have gone off without a hitch."

"What do you mean?" Kurogane snaps at him. "What's the purpose of us, of _you_ being here if you will not help your twins?"

"But we should minimize the effect we have in this world, otherwise we just might mess with the flow of this world."

"So you're saying that it's this world's twins' destiny to be separated, just because you and your twin were separated, and you're going to accept it just like that?"

There was a glaze that passed over the mage's eyes. He tugged his lips upward (Kuro refuses to call it a smile) with an irritated streak in his eyes. "And what do you suggest? We hide them, and then take them with our journey? We let them escape from the orphanage and leave them in this world on their own? If we leave them here, the president's right hand will find them anyway. Yuuko-san will ask for a price when we let them travel with us."

"Then let's see what her price will be." He turns around and starts to leave the cafe. "Come."

The mage excuses himself from his manager (a little emergency, but he'll be back after lunch break, he says) before they go back home.

They find the manjuu and the kid back from searching for the feather. The princess is carrying a plate of steaming tuna, while the twins were fixing the table. Yuui is the first one to look up from his chore with a grin on his face. "You're home early, Mister Kurowane! Are you also having lunch here?"

Mokona giggles. "I bet his sandwich is not enough for him. You came home for seconds, Kuro-daddy?"

Kurogane ignores both of them. He grabs Mokona from the table and tells the rest of them to stay right there before going upstairs to his and the mage's (currently the twins') room and locks the door behind him. The mage followed him silently throughout.

"I can't grant that wish." Yuuko says after he asks that the twins travel together with them.

Kurogane can feel his anger boil. "What do you mean you can't?"

"The price is too great. I can perhaps let only one of them travel through worlds, but not both of them, and not with you. As a price, the twin who leaves that world can never come back."

"Why not?" Kurogane _growled_ the words out of his mouth.

"Hitsuzen, Kurogane. That is the only thing I can offer. When you want to take the offer, contact me."

Kurogane was about to argue more about having the two of them traveling _together_, but the mage cuts in. "Thank you, Yuuko-san."

Yuuko gives the mage a nod and a silent smile before the screen goes black.

"I don't understand why _you_ are so calm about this, mage." He glares at the mage behind him. The manjuu in his hands was silent the whole time.

"And I don't understand why you are so concerned about the twins. I guess we'll never understand each other."

With that, the mage turns his back to leave. He opens the door, and the twins come stumbling forward towards the room, with the princess and the kid a few feet away. Kurogane curses under his breath, why didn't he _feel_ the twins behind the door? He's a ninja, dammit.

"Sorry... we felt strong magic and thought we had to warn you..." Fai's speech trails.

"Why were you asking Ms. Yuuko if we can travel with you, Mister Kurowane?" Yuui asks. Always spot on, that twin.

Both twins are staring at him. "The guy who wants to adopt you will push through it tomorrow morning."

Yuui's eyes widen. "Without Fai?" Beside him, his twin visibly shivers.

Kurogane nods.

Yuui opens his mouth but Fai holds him back. "Wait. So you asked Ms. Yuuko about it and she said only one of us could travel. She said it was _hitsuzen_. What does that mean, Mister?"

Kurogane shrugs. He himself never understood the hitsuzen thing. The only thing he understood was that the witch was implying that the twins are separated, and he didn't like it. It was the thought of two kids being separated from the only person he considers family. It was probably as bad as murder, and it will hurt both of the kids. He should know.

The mage, remembering his original intent, takes a step nearer the door.

Fai grabs on to his shirt tail. "Mister Fai, where are you going?"

The mage smiles at the twin. "I have to go back to work, Fai." He gently removes the twin's hand. "I asked to be excused for only half an hour."

Fai nods, and they all watch as the mage goes downstairs. They were silent enough to hear the front door closing behind the mage.

"Fai-san..." The kid mumbles under his breath.

Kurogane sighs and looks at both twins. "So what do the two of you plan? The guy is the president's right hand."

Both twins' eyes widen. "The one who's going to adopt Yuui?"

"Yes."

"Kurogane-san, that means they might know that Yuui has magic." The kid says.

"I know. That's why I was asking the witch, but that bitch-"

"I'll go." Yuui interrupts him.

"What?" Fai jerks his head to his twin's direction. "Yuui-"

"If he is the president's _right hand_, then they're going to find us anyway." Yuui has a determined look, one that definitely didn't match his age. Fai was going to speak up again, but Yuui raises his hand as a protest to pause. "We don't have any other choice, Fai."

"Brat." Kurogane can feel his eyes narrowing in irritation. "If the guy gets his hands on you, he's either going to kill you, or do something worse."

"But what could we do, Mister Kurowane? Do you have any place in mind where we can hide from the _government_?" It's irrelevant to the discussion, but Kurogane is surprised that the twins didn't even ask what could be _worse_ than death.

"I'll find a place."

There was silence. "You can't, not in a short amount of time. I'm going, Fai."

Tears formed in the older twin's eyes. "Yuui..."

"I'll come back alive." Yuui says. He hugs his twin. Fai hugs back, but he is struggling for his breath, which soon developed into a full-pledged asthma attack. The princess gives him his aspirator.

While the princess and the kid are trying to make Fai feel better, Kurogane drags the younger twin out of the room. "Are you insane?" He asks the Yuui as they step out of the room and out of the older twin's hearing range. "You're dead meat the moment you go with him."

Yuui is silent.

"You can still escape. If you won't do it on your own, I'm going to drag you to the witch's shop."

"I know the guy, Mister Kurowane." Yuui finally speaks. "He is the one actively killing magicians. He was probably the one who killed my grandfather. When I kill him, he won't be able to bother Fai anymore."

"All the more reason you shouldn't. You think that's heroic? That's stupid."

"But what should I do?" Yuui asks. His voice begins to tremble at the end of the sentence, and tears he was holding back spills. "If I run off with Fai now, he's not going to survive it. It's the middle of winter. And Fei Wong is powerful. He can just search for me and Fai if he cannot adopt me right now. If I go to him willingly, Fai will be safe. Besides..." Yuui wipes his tears. "Miss Yuuko said we can only travel alone; someone has to be left behind. Doing something other than that will disrupt the flow of this world."

"So you're buying this _hitsuzen_, too?"

"I don't want to think it's that tragic." Yuui sighs. "But if we can't get out of here, this is the best thing I can think of. Fai and I can reunite after this whole thing. Five years ago, we were kicked out of the village because we're stronger than our grandfather and our magic might attract those after the feather. But Fai grew weaker, and I grew stronger. I think I am the only one who has a chance in killing Fei Wong."

Silence. Kurogane realizes that he can't change Yuui's mind anymore. And as much as he hates it, the brat actually makes sense.

Yuui approaches him and hugs him tight. "Thank you very much for your concern, Mister Kurowane. Please take care of Fai while you're here and I'm gone."

Kurogane pats Yuui's head. "You better keep your promise of staying alive." He feels Yuui's head nod.

Dinner can never be more depressing. Fai refuses to eat, saying he'll take a bite only if Yuui doesn't go tomorrow. Yuui never budged. He can see that the princess wants to beg Yuui to escape, but the kid must have talked to her, because she kept her silence. Instead, she was begging Fai to eat.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sakura, but I won't and I'll _never._ Yuui, please, let's escape..." Fai's blue eyes are shimmering from the dining room's lighting.

"Fai, I have to go."

Fai bites his lower lip. He bows his head, and his shoulders shiver. He was still trying to hold back his tears when he rushes upstairs; his chair falling back with a loud 'clang' in the process and his steps echoing across the silent apartment.

Yuui excuses himself and rushes after his twin. There was a loud clang of a door, and a click from the doorknob.

Back in the dining table, the princess lets out a shaky sigh.

"Sakura-hime..."

"I'm sorry. It's just that... it's unfair." Her voice trembles. "They're just kids. " A tear drops from the corner of her right eye, and she covers it with both her hands. The manjuu hops over to the princess' shoulder and hugs her cheek.

"It's not to be sorry for, Sakura-chan. Mokona also feels terrible about it." The manjuu says.

"Yuui won't change his mind." Syaoran shakes his head. "It's just that he's too young to do something like this." He continues picking on his plate.

Dinner was almost untouched.

The twins don't go back downstairs to finish their dinner. When Kurogane goes upstairs, he finds both twins asleep in each other's arms. He decides to drink some sake and wait on the mage. The kid, the princess, and the manjuu joined him at first (_but no alcohol for any of them_, he said clearly; the last thing he needed was to take care of a drunk princess), but they soon got sleepy and went to their beds. Minutes turned to hours. Soon, the hour hand went past the eleventh hour, but there was still no mage.

It was almost midnight when the mage opens the door. He smells of alcohol. When he sees Kurogane at the table with an almost empty bottle of sake in one hand, he grins. "I found a place with some nice vodka, so I brought a bottle home with me." He approaches the table, places a brown paper bag on it, and takes out a bottle of clear liquid. "It's pretty expensive, but it's totally worth it. Want to try some, Kuro-daddy?"

Kurogane holds out his cup in response. The mage is pouring into his cup when he speaks. "Yuui wants to go to the president's right hand tomorrow morning. He's just as stupid as you."

The mage nods, as if he were expecting this. "He's probably thinking of his brother's safety."

Kurogane drinks his cup. "This is heavy stuff."

"I know." The mage grins. "I think Yuuko-san will love this. Hmm... I wonder if this will suffice as a gift for White Day?"

Kurogane feels a new wave of anger wash through him at the mention of the Witch of Dimensions. He can still remember her exact words about the separation of the twins. It's _hitsuzen_, she said. He stares at the mage, his mind brimming with questions to ask.

"Kuro-puu, you seem to want to probe me questions." The mage says. He pours himself a cup of vodka. "I don't think I want to answer any of your questions, though." He chugs the whole cup in one gulp, and slams it down the table. "Aah... Really good. I think we'll do better if we just drink this whole bottle and sleep, with no interrogation of any kind. Don't you think so?"

"No." Kurogane snaps. "It's not just about you now, mage. There are two other children that are involved, and you who know how to solve this is not even helping."

The mage pours another cupful of vodka. "That's the problem, Kuro-pii. I don't know how to solve it."

He stares at the mage who is traveling across worlds alone. Did the mage take the witch's offer? "Did you take the witch's offer to leave your world?"

"What- Ah, no. How can you think of me like that, Kuro? I left Celes through my own magic!" The mage waves his hand in front of his face, which has become visibly paler. "I can do it only once, though." He smiles, closes his eyes, and tilts it to a side.

Kurogane narrows his eyes. There was a lie somewhere in the past statement. Or _lies_, who knows. "You have powerful magic. Why won't you use it to transport the twins?"

"But it takes a lot of magic to transport someone to another dimension. Not to mention two people. And besides, I cannot use my magic anymore."

"Even for the sake of your twin's counterpart?"

At this, a shadow crosses the mage's face. He twirls his glass of vodka. "Even for that." He says after much deliberation.

Kurogane finds himself glaring at the mage.

The mage, on the other hand, is decidedly keeping his cheerful mask woven with the stinking thread of yellow lies. "Well, I guess I should go to sleep. I've had quite a lot of drinks tonight and I still have to go to work tomorrow. Good night!" Without casting so much as a glance, the mage goes straight to the couch.

Kurogane drinks the whole bottle on the rooftop.

He set about packing Yuui's things in the wee hours of the morning. He nearly forgot about it, or maybe tried to postpone it as much as it could, because doing so will be admitting that Yuui _will_ leave, and he was still probably hoping the mage will yield to using his magic. He should have known better. He does it as quietly as his ninja training can provide, but both twins wake up anyway. He guesses they weren't exactly sleeping anyway, and probably had not for the whole of last night.

"What are you doing, Mister?"

"Packing Yuui's clothes."

Both twins watch him do his work. There was deafening silence around them. Fai breaks it off first by the shuffle of the blanket under him when he moves to hug Yuui. Soon, there were soft sobs.

"I'll be fine, Fai. Wait for me." Yuui whispers to his twin's ear.

Fai continues sobbing.

From the crack of the door opening, Kurogane can see the mage's shadow approach the room. It is soon followed by his head peeking inside. Yuui sees him, and gives him a smile.

"Can I come in?" The mage asks.

Fai straightens up when he hears the mage's voice. "Mister Fai! Please…" He pleads, and motions the mage to sit beside the two of them.

The mage complies.

"Is your Yuui alive, Mister Fai?" Fai asks.

The mage smiles gently. "He's perfectly fine." Kurogane pauses from fixing Yuui's clothes to look at them. He notices the mage's unusually reddish eyes.

"Where is he?" Fai prods on.

"Back in Celes. I think Yuui will be fine, Fai, no need to be worried."

"But why isn't your Yuui with you right now?"

The mage reaches out and strokes Fai's golden locks. "Just because we are not together now doesn't mean you and Yuui will not be together. We only share the same souls, not the same lives."

Fai is inconsolable. "But Ms. Yuuko said it was _hitsuzen. _We can only travel through worlds if one of us is dead. Doesn't that mean that one of us will die, no matter what?"

"No." The mage said, his eyes determined. He speaks with a firm tone. "No one needs to die. You have powerful magic, don't you, Yuui?"

Yuui nods. "As do you." The mage smiles lopsidedly at this.

Fai sighs. "I don't, though. My magic has been fading away…" Suddenly, he lits up and jerks his head towards the mage. "Mister Fai! I have an idea! Please give Yuui... something to protect him. A seal, maybe. Please..."

It drew a frown on the mage's face. Kurogane figures he's thinking of ways to reject his counterpart. "I can't use my magic, sorry." The mage says after a pause.

Fai was about to beg more but his twin stops him. "Fai, there are reasons people can't use their magic. Don't force it. Besides, I'll be fine."

The older twin bows his head. "Fine, I'll do it." He rises from the bed and stands in front of Yuui.

"Fai, no!" Yuui jerks up from the bed and grabs Fai's hand just as blue sparks come from it.

"Let me go! At least give me a way to protect you!" Fai screams. The tips of the fingers of his right hand are still glowing blue. The two of them scramble on the floor; Fai's magic spilling all over the room. It disintegrates into smoke as soon as it touches the floor. Kurogane moves in to separate the two of them when the blue ribbon of magic touches his arm. It was icy cold, it hurt.

"That's enough! Break it up!" He growls as he separates Yuui from Fai.

"Make him stop! Stop it, Fai, just stop! You're going to die if you give me a seal!" Yuui was still struggling from Kurogane's hold.

It was the mage who reaches out and touches Fai's fingers with his bare hands. "Stop, Fai. I'll give him a seal."

The blue light on the tip of Fai's fingers fades down, and he ends up slumped in the mage's arms. The mage carries him to the bed. "Thank you, Mister Fai." Fai almost slurs. Soon, he drifts off to sleep.

"I don't think he could have given you a seal." The mage says. He turns to Yuui and motions for the younger twin to approach him. "Come here."

"Wait, Mister Fai, why can't you use your magic?" Yuui asks. "I don't want you using it just for me."

Kurogane rolls his eyes. There are two idiots in front of him right now, two who think of others' welfare before their own. The mage insists to put a seal on the younger twin when he's running away from a person who could sense his magic far away, while the younger twin is restraining a powerful mage from giving him a seal to protect him when his life is in grave danger.

"Someone might wake up if he senses my magic. But there's a possibility he won't. Besides, I promised Fai I'll give you a seal."

As Yuui approaches the mage, Kurogane can already sense magic and feel that there's something out of place. It occurred to him as soon as Yuui is directly in front of the mage: the younger twin's hair is floating around like it would when in a breeze. "I can put up a kekkai so others won't be able to feel your magic." He offers.

The mage smiles. "Thanks."

Yuui whistles. The air from his mouth has blue twirls, which grew in size and number, and soon enveloped him and the mage.

Kurogane can see them, but he cannot hear or feel any of their magic anymore. He sees the mage stand from the bed and write something with the blue ribbon of light from his fingertips. Yuui kneels in front of the mage. Soon, the symbols (or words in the mage's world, probably, but they're too fancy-looking to Kurogane to be considered a word) form a meter-wide circle and floats toward the younger twin. It settles on the floor; the twin on the dead center of it. There was a bright glow of light that surrounded Yuui, and then it was suddenly gone. The mage nods to Yuui, and the blue twirls floating around disappear. Past the two of them was the window, where the faintest sunlight starts to show.

The mage strokes Yuui's hair. "Good luck. I'll go downstairs and make us breakfast."

Kurogane and Yuui are silent for a while, until Yuui speaks softly, almost wistfully. "Mister Fai has such powerful magic. I bet anyone worlds away could feel it if we weren't in a kekkai. How come Fai doesn't have magic as strong as his?"

"I thought both of you have powerful magic." Kurogane says as he packs up the last of the younger twin's coloring books.

"We did, when we were born. But Fai's magic gets weaker as he uses it, while mine goes stronger. It doesn't help that he uses magic almost every time he could. The problem is that when a wizard's magic is gone, he dies." Yuui sighs as he picks up his crayons from under the bed. "Maybe it's the reason why he's sickly, too. In any case, please don't let him use his magic when I'm gone, Mister Kurowane."

Kurowane nods. He wonders if that's another reason why the mage claims he can't use his magic, but it doesn't seem so. The mage's magic is strong, and he seems like he uses it a lot before they went in their journey. Besides, he's a court magician, so using magic must have been an everyday part of his life. It didn't really make sense.

Everyone has breakfast before the sun fully rises, but the dining table was silent. After breakfast, everyone gives Yuui farewells. Fai didn't speak a lot. He just approached his twin, hugged him, and kissed him in the forehead. He rushes upstairs to the room after.

"Won't you come with us?" Kurogane asks the mage, who is also ready to go to work.

"Well, I have to go to work." The mage replies.

Kurogane shakes his head. How can the mage not care about Yuui? This isn't the mage's twin, but Yuui has the same soul as the mage's twin. Kurogane can't figure out why the mage is so cold. The mage probably wouldn't even give Yuui a seal if Fai hadn't almost died giving Yuui one. How can a man so vain ever exist? His irritation is evident when he speaks. "This is your twin's counterpart going to something that might be the death of him, and you excuse yourself for work?" He growls. Behind the two of them, the princess, the kid and the manjuu are all hugging Yuui.

The mage smiles. "Well, I do have a few minutes to spare."

Kurogane glares at the mage.

They walk to the orphanage; Kurogane carrying Yuui, who was almost sulking, and the mage pulling along the younger twin's stroller. The occupants of nearby residences are starting to wake up; people whose schools and employments are far are starting to leave their houses. They were rushing along, some almost running. Not the three of them, though. They are walking almost as slowly as they could, giving the impression that they did not want to go to where they were headed. Some people stare at them weirdly for this.

Yuui breaks the ice. "Mister Fai, what's the concept behind the same souls?" He looks up wearily from Kurogane's shoulder.

"Well, it's like having different versions of people across the different worlds. But it's just the same soul. The different versions doesn't need to have the same characteristics, or live the same lives." The mage explains. "It's... the essence, I guess. A soul is not inherently good or bad. It depends on how a person lives, I guess."

Yuui nods. "That probably explains it. Because frankly, you and I are more similar than you and Fai are."

Kurogane probably noticed it before, but it was when Yuui said it that he began to think about it more. It was from the littles nuances – the ridiculous amounts of sweets consumed in a day, the name mangling, and the general talkativeness – to the bigger faults – both idiots thinking more about how others will be instead of their own safety, and the large amounts of magic. And the mage being closer to and caring more about Fai. It was the most damning observation he had, and if Yuui _is_ the mage's twin counterpart, it made the mage less of the vain person that Kurogane has been viewing him as. But if that was true, how come the mage seems to be aware of it? He steals a peek at the mage and sees him with a frozen smile. He doesn't speak.

"How is your world's Yuui like, Mister Fai?"

He doesn't remove his eyes from the mage. Said mage now has a glaze over his eyes as he speaks, and is looking far away. The frozen smile is still in place. "He's the more forceful one. He often gets into fights because of it. He isn't as protective as you are, though."

Yuui nods.

When they reach the gate, the first brat Kurogane sees is Justine. He was playing at the gate with a dog. Said dog is wagging its tail at the three of them. When Justine notices, he turns to his usual grimace as he studied Kurogane and Yuui, but his eyes widen in surprise when he sees the mage.

"Well, we're here." The mage says. He gives Yuui a ruffle on the hair. "I think I'll be going now."

"Won't you see Yuui off?" Kurogane asks, his irritation gone. The revelation was suddenly giving more and more sense.

"I think Mister Louie might have a few questions when he sees me." The mage kisses Yuui's forehead. "I think you'll be fine, Yuui. But in any case, good luck."

"Thank you." Yuui says. He hugs the mage by the neck. "Please take care of Fai too, Mister Fai. Don't let him..."

"Yes, I won't." The mage says. "I'd like to say farewell, but I have a feeling we'll meet again. So long."

"So long." Yuui concedes. They watch as the mage walks to the other direction to catch a bus to the cafe.

Justine gives them a weird look (a _frightened _look, actually) as they step in. "The guy's name is Fai?" He asks both Yuui and Kurogane.

Kurogane nods. "Yeah, so what?"

"I knew it. You're not scared of the twins because you're acquainted with magic as well, aren't you?" Justine hisses. "You know someone who looks exactly like them! He even has the same name as one of them!"

"Oh, shut up." Yuui's flat voice interrupts Justine from speaking more. "You've been rid of us for the past few weeks, and you'll be rid of me forever. Why don't you go celebrate somewhere else and stop bothering us for the last time?"

Justine glares at him, then runs off inside.

And within the hour, it was done. The guy, a horrible-faced hulk of a man with hair covering all sides of his face show up in the orphanage at around 7 in the morning with two cars full of people wearing tuxedos. Yuui went willingly with him, and within minutes of arriving, they were gone.

There was a certain gloom around the house after Yuui was gone. Aside from the obvious fact that everyone is worried by the danger he is in right now, he is also the more energetic and talkative twin. Without Yuui, Fai was even more reserved. He refuses to eat the whole day.

The mage, expecting this, brings home a special chicken salad dish from the cafe he works for. Fai wouldn't touch any of it, though, despite Kurogane's threats of just shoving the spoon his mouth if he won't eat it.

"Please eat it, Fai-chan." The mage begs the older twin.

The older twin burrows his head further the pillows. Kurogane, who was standing by the bedside, sighs.

The mage sighs, too. "You'll be sick if you don't eat it, Fai-chan. And Yuui will be sad if he finds out you got sick because you didn't eat anything. So please eat it."

It convinces Fai, barely. He eats half of what the mage brought home.

After their dinner, Kurogane and the mage go upstairs to the room. They see a lump covered by a blanket. The mage approaches it. "Goodnight, Fai." He leans over and kisses the older twin's forehead.

The mage was straighting up when Fai twists around and holds on to his wrist. "Mister Fai, can you please sleep with me tonight?" Fai asks.

"Sure." The mage responds, sitting on the side of the bed before gently lying beside the twin. The older twin shifts and snuggles against the mage's chest. The mage responds by hugging the older twin tighter and kissing his forehead. It was... intimate, Kurogane decides, so he turns his back to the two of them and tries to sleep. Whether it being the mage's moment with himself or with the twin he left behind his world, he thinks the mage wouldn't appreciate him watching.

It was around midnight that sobs float across the room. Kurogane opens his eyes, but doesn't turns back around. It was Fai.

"Ssh... it will be okay, Fai-chan." The mage whispers to the older twin's forehead.

Fai sobs even more. "But why did this have to happen? Mister Fai, even now as I lay in bed to sleep, Yuui might be killed already. I'd rather be the one to die. I'm the older one; I'm supposed to be the one to do the protecting part. And I can't do it because I'm so weak."

Not a sound. Kurogane is wondering why the mage isn't saying anything, so Kurogane turns his head slowly to take a peek. The mage's eyes are closed, but there was a glittering line from the side of his eye to his ears. When the mage opens his eyes, they are shimmering, twinkling blue.

"I miss my twin." Fai snuggles closer to the mage's torso.

"Me too." The mage kisses his forehead.

The three of them lay unsleeping in their beds for the rest of the night.

NOTE: Chapter 7's here! I'd like to apologize for the severe delay. After a few months… Geez… I'd like to say that I might release a new chapter at the duration of my Christmas break, but I don't want to make any promises anymore since I seem to always break them. But I have started writing the 8th chapter, so… But then again, I said the same thing with chapter 7 from a few months before. Shoot. Actually, my laptop's hard drive was… broken. I think it was because I dropped my laptop. Twice. So, we had to send it back and I haven't back up during that time, leading to the loss of the outline. I had to work on it first before I can pick up the fanfic again. Blah, excuses.

I think I haven't replied with the later comments, either. LOL. Actually, mangalovergirl1 made me pick up the fanfic,7th chapter and outline, after her review. I realize that I was a few months late. Sorry again, but hopefully you liked the chapter enough to forgive me for the tardiness. :P

Thanks for reading. Comments are appreciated :D


	8. Chapter 8

8.

"What?" Louie asks Kurogane again.

"Fai had convulsions, so they rushed him to the hospital."

Fai had been sick for almost a week, with a high fever and violent coughs that often lead to asthma attacks. Him having little magic is probably a reason, just as Yuui said before leaving, but Kurogane thinks it's because he misses his twin so much. He rarely eats or even get out of bed; Kurogane has to drag him out everyday for breakfast and hot baths before he goes to the orphanage. Everyone is trying so much to cheer the twin up – Sakura makes all meals out of _chicken _that the very sight of it (cooked or alive) makes the ninja want to puke, the kid always tells him of stories of places where the kid and his father went, and sometimes pathetically cracking an unfunny joke with which the older twin will smile respectfully, the manjuu making all kinds of puns and taking out everything they accumulated in their journey from previous worlds to present a toy to the listless kid, and the mage giving _all_ kinds of _entertainment_ (which, of course, Kurogane classifies under stupid things; but then again these ideas are the closest that have ever made the twin smile) – including making Kurogane give him a horse back ride (under normal circumstances, the mage would have been genuinely delighted to do it, but now the glee he shows is forced, and it makes Kurogane less aggravated knowing that. But still, he put up a _slight_ fight; he can't let the mage think that he is in any way agreeing to such demeaning acts) – but none of it is working.

The morning started normally enough; the mage cooking while yawning, sleepy after taking care of the sick twin last night. and the kid and the manjuu sitting by the sick twin's bedside while the princess slept soundly; tired from looking after the twin the whole day. After serving breakfast, the mage ate some and rushed to work, followed by Kurogane. He had even started his morning routines in the orphanage when the princess called, saying they are in the hospital because Fai's body was suddenly wrecked with spasms, and the hospital is asking for a downpayment.

Louie pales and bites his lower lip before nodding, albeit hesitantly. "Okay."

When they reach the hospital, the princess and the kid are sitting in the lobby. He approaches them and is followed by an unsure Louie.

"How's Fai?" He asks.

"They're confining him to run some tests." Syaoran says. "Anou, Kurogane-san, they say we need a downpayment."

"How much is it?" Louie asks.

Syaoran hands over a piece of paper.

Louie reaches for it and pales further. "Oh dear."

"Why?" Kurogane asks.

The head caretaker smiles weakly. "I can pay for the test fees, but the orphanage seriously can't afford to have him confined in a hospital."

Kurogane didn't feel or notice that his voice is rising. "Do you mean that we're just going to watch as the twin gets sicker and sicker by the day?"

Louie's arms rise protectively to the front of his chest. "I'm sorry but I seriously can't afford one of the kids hospitalized."

His hands have already started the motion of grabbing the head caretaker's collar when the kid goes between him and Louie. "Kurogane-san..." When he drops his arm and jerks his head to the side, the kid turns to face Louie, face earnest as always. "I'm really sorry to hear that, Mr. Louie, but Fai is really very weak right now. He rarely eats and he's always gloomy ever since Yuui's adoption, and I'm frankly scared for his health. We need someone who could heal him."

Louie sighs and rubs his nape. "I understand. Okay, I'm going to pay the downpayment. But I have to find a sponsor for his hospitalization, because the orphanage seriously cannot afford it. If I cannot find one within two days, I'm sorry but I'd have to take him with me back to the orphanage."

"Excuse me, Mr. Louie." The princess sits up from the lobby's sofa. "You are from an institute that takes care of orphaned kids, aren't you? Does the government have no... health support for you? I mean, do you still have to pay the healers? Because-"

"Yeah, that's it." The kid interjects before the princess can explain about how it was in Clow Country further. "Maybe if we talk to the head of the hospital, he can help us."

Louie nods. "True. Okay, I'll talk to him. Thanks for informing me, and Kurogane-san, please go back to the orphanage and look after the other kids." He doesn't sound hopeful, but he does go to the information table and start talking with a nurse.

Kurogane goes back to the orphanage with a really sour mood and a cross expression in the face. The kids and his fellow caretakers seem to sensed his foul mood and therefore backed away when they meet him. Even the kids seem uncharacteristically quiet. He would have rejoiced (sighed contentedly and meditated, or something) had it not been for the problem at hand.

The head caretaker arrives after lunch. He motions Kurogane to go with him to the office. They both go together and the head caretaker leaves the door ajar.

"The head of the hospital agreed to make the room, food, and nurse fees free for us." Louie starts. "But not the medication and the procedures which Fai would undergo. And frankly, that is where bulk of the expenses would be."

"What kind of deal was that?" Kurogane's annoyance is creeping in his tone again.

"It makes sense, actually, since of course they have to pay the professionals who would administer the medical procedures and they need to pay for the medication as well. But then..."

"What?"

"The boy who was with Fai in the hospital (Syaoran, was it?) said that someone already paid for the test fees. Syaoran seems to know him, whoever it was, but didn't tell me his name. So, I don't know, maybe you know who it is?"

Kurogane can only think of one person, the mage. But the mage didn't make himself known to the head caretaker, and maybe for a good reason; him looking exactly like one of the twins to be specific. So Kurogane flowed with him. "Yeah, I know him."

"Well, who is he?"

_Never say you're a traveler, ever_; the twins used to warn him a lot. "A companion."

"Your companion?" Louie asks, his eyebrows knitted in confusion. But then it clears when he shrugs. "Please say thank you. Could you please arrange an appointment for me? I would like to know if he is interested in being a sponsor for Fai."

Kurogane could almost swear that the mage would. But he agrees with Louie and tells the mage when the mage got home, which was almost dinnertime.

"Tell him he's welcome." The mage says as he peels apples and places them inside a bowl. "And I am willing to help with the hospital expenses."

_Of course_, Kurogane thought. "He wants an appointment with you."

"Eh? Is that really necessary? Can't I just call him?"

Kurogane shrugs. "Try calling him. Here." He hands the mage the calling card Louie gave him a while ago.

The mage gets up from the dining table. Kurogane can hear the mage talking to the phone, though murky in some parts. _Yes, I am Kurogane's companion; no, not really, it's just that I work in an expensive restaurant, so I have some money to spare... _

"Fai-mommy's heart is aching, though Mokona doesn't know why." The manjuu, who has been sitting on the dining table very quietly, suddenly speaks. She has been nibbling on a single slice of apple for a few minutes. Kurogane previously thought it was not possible for a manjuu to nibble something it can hug wholly with its two short arms for longer than a second.

"It's the twins, of course." Kurogane says. He reaches for a slice of apple. The mage's voice drifts to the dining room. _The twins have been very attached to us since they came here, so I would like to help, of course. I'm willing to pay for his expenses, but when I saw the bill for just the downpayment, I was shocked. I will pay as long as I can but I'm afraid my savings and salary cannot cover his medical fees for a long time, so if Fai's stay at the hospital extends, please find another sponsor for additional support to Fai-chan's hospital bill._

"It's not just that." The manjuu says. "Mokona thinks there's something else.." She continues nibbling on the slice of apple, which already sports the yellow bruised texture apples have when they are exposed in the air for too long.

Kurogane swallows the slice of apple and reaches out for another one when a pale white hand swats his hand away from the bowl. "That's cheating, Kuro-daddy! That's for dinner, and you're already eating everything! Look at Mokona-chan here, she's restraining herself because she knows it's for dinner. See?" The mage taps the manjuu's head.

The manjuu looks at the mage sadly, but the mage ignores her, going to the kitchen instead. Loud steel clangs follow his entrance. "I think Kuro-pon would appreciate anything not chicken for tonight. Would you like something beefy, Kuro-pipi?"

Kurogane sighs in annoyance. He grumbles something incoherent and goes upstairs to get some nap. When he wakes up, the princess and the kid have arrived home, bearing news of Fai's condition. The doctor said he needs to be confined, the kid says, because he had developed some respiratory problems, is dehydrated and is malnourished. No wonder, seeing that the brat doesn't want to eat anything. It was tuberculosis and pneumonia combined in one, the princess adds, so it would be best if he stays in the hospital. They eat dinner, thinking that Fai can leave the hospital after a few days.

The morning after, Kurogane and the mage visit Fai-chan in the hospital before they go to work. What they saw in the room was a really thin blonde child sitting in the middle of a dark room. The mage flips the light switch on. "Good morning, Fai-chan."

The child, who was staring out the window, turns his head. Kurogane gulps. It was a thinner, paler, and smaller Fai in front of them, if it was possible. Fai smiles a smile of no cheer. His eyes have sunk further in the sockets. With the white hospital gown and the disheveled blonde hair that badly needs a haircut, he looked like a ghost. "Good morning." He replies with his airy, faint voice.

From the corner of his eyes, Kurogane can see the mage take a step back.

"What happened? You look even worse." Kurogane finally manages to say. Could the doctors have found out that he has magic and gave him poison?

Fai opens his mouth to speak, but is instead racked by a long train of coughs. The mage, brought back to life by the hoarse sounds from the older twin's mouth, grabs a tissue from the side table and gives it to the twin. The mage massages Fai's back as Fai continues his coughing.

Kurogane approaches the bed with a glass on hand. The mage turns to him and their eyes meet. The mage's eyes almost pleads for help – could he please do something to stop Fai from dying? It was as if the mage knows that Fai will die and feels powerless to stop it.

And most puzzle pieces fall into place.

This mage had his twin torn away from him, had his twin probably _dead_ basing from the primal fear that showed from the mage's eyes. This mage doesn't care what happens to his counterpart, as long as his twin's counterpart is safe and sound. It all just fits into the self-sacrificing, stupid idiot mage he had known from their journey.

This mage is Yuui.

He has yet to find out why the mage is parading around as Fai, though.

The mage tears away his gaze when the older twin stops coughing.

"Is there anything you want me to bring when I drop off here after work?" The mage asks softly.

"Yuui."

Kurogane could have sworn that the mage was about to cry, but instead, he smiles gently. "Is there anything else? Chicken?"

The older twin shakes his head.

The mage nods silently and gets up from the bed nimbly. He is staring at the twin, opens his mouth, but ends up closing it again and biting his lower lip.

Kurogane shoves a glass of water in the twin's face. "Drink, then tell me why you look even worse."

The older twin complies. He gets the glass of water with his shaky hands and brings it close to his mouth, but ends up spilling almost a quarter of the water on his sheets. The mage steadies his hands so he could drink. "I cannot feel Yuui anymore, Mister."

It takes a few moments before Kurogane can understand what the older twin is saying. "You mean you used your magic?" He hissed.

Fai bows his head. "I'm sorry, but I seriously cannot feel his presence anymore!" He starts sobbing, which develops into another coughing fit.

Kurogane plants two hands in the older twin's bed and huffs down to look at the brat in the face. "If you continue using your magic, you're going to die."

"So what? My twin is dead."

It is seriously taking all of the ninja's restraint to keep himself from hitting the brat in the head. Is everyone related to the mage this stupid? Before he can start one of his irritated tirades (which was getting more and more frequent, actually), the mage speaks.

"Fai..." The mage approaches the bed and sits beside the older twin. He strokes Fai's head gently. "You're magic's been fading away, that's why you cannot feel his presence anymore."

"I used to!" Fai gives a weak protest.

"Your magic's been getting weaker, Fai. Please don't do that again. Didn't you remember, Yuui promised he'll come back? He'll feel very bad when he goes back and sees that you exhausted all your magic." Kurogane notes that the mage didn't use the word 'dead'. Him and his crafty use of euphenisms. "So please hang on, Fai. We'll help you in anyway we can, but we need your help, too."

Fai nods, but he doesn't speak.

The nurse goes in to serve Fai his breakfast. It was getting late, and they both have to go to work already, but the mage stays to help Fai with eating breakfast. He is still talking and entertaining the older twin when Kurogane leaves for the orphanage. When he arrives, he tells Louie about Fai's worsened condition (minus the magic part, of course; he just said that maybe it was Fai missing Yuui so much). Louie sighs and shakes his head. He goes off looking for a sponsor to help the mage with Fai's medical expenses.

The bully brat seems to know about the problem, too. Kurogane is scrubbing some toddler's vomit off the floor (Angel took care of that toddler and the others, thankfully) when he sees an older brat figure peeking at him from the door. Only one person in the orphanage dares approach him – Justin.

"How's Fai?"

"Not good." Kurogane replies. He continues scrubbing the stupid vomit off the wooden floor and not bothering to at least peek at the general direction of the brat.

"Exhausted his magic yet?"

He stops scrubbing. The brat knows too much about magic than the average person. "Why do you know so much about magic? Are you a wizard?"

Frankly, Kurogane expects the brat to be surprised, petrified that someone else knows now, and deny it, maybe. But when he looks to the brat's direction, he sees that the brat had paled and is now sporting a deadly glare. "Don't you dare call me a wizard." The brat's glaring eyes are slowly gathering mists around the corner. But then, the brat snorts and jerks his head to the side. "But what did I expect from you, who always sides with the twins and who has a wizard as a _companion_? You'll side with them. Of course you'll do." The brat gives him a final glare before running off downstairs, and perhaps terrorizing another kid or two. A few minutes later, Louie arrives without finding a sponsor to help pay Fai's hospital bills.

He passes by the hospital before going home. When he opens the door, he finds all his traveling companions inside. The mage's chatters fill the air; the speech decidedly ignoring the princess', the kid's and the manjuu's shocked silence in finding an even thinner and smaller Fai. There was never a moment of silence; one beat of no one talking and the mage will start chattering again. The princess is trying and badly failing in feeding Fai a bowl of chicken salad. When the twin sees him, he is immediately asked of any news regarding Yuui. He shakes his head; he cannot lie even if his life, or someone else's life, depended on it. The twin further sulks, and the mage chatters again.

And so it happens everyday for the next two weeks – him and the mage going to the hospital before going to work and finding a sicker twin, him asking Louie to check on Fei Wong Reed and Louie shuddering in fright as a response, Louie setting off and failing to find a sponsor for the twin, and the twin asking him about Yuui every afternoon when he arrives in the hospital. It is almost heartbreaking for him, and it certainly is on the mage.

The mage has been getting more and more frequent nightmares where he calls out 'Fai' instead of 'Ashura'. Kurogane brings a glass of water to their room before sleeping every night. The mage doesn't dare comment on it; he simply drinks the water, thanks Kurogane, and lies back down to face the wall, his back against the ninja. The ninja doubts he's able to sleep again.

It isn't just him who has been taking notice of the mage's distracted chatter and heightened aversion to silence, too. The manjuu rarely makes fun of him anymore, but is often riding the mage's shoulder and hugging the mage's cheek. The kid, too, obviously has questions, but is either too polite or too unsure to ask the mage. Instead, the kid would silently watch the mage and answer any questions as politely and as carefully as he could. The mage, of course, has noticed this, but is decidedly ignoring it and playing his act even though almost all of them can see that something is wrong. Typical gone worse.

And so, after a weeks of the mage's distracted chatter and the twin asking about the other twin, the kid approaches him with the manjuu on a shoulder.

"Kurogane-san, is there something wrong with Fai-san?" The kid asks, his eyes as big and earnest as ever. "I mean, I know it's because of what happened to Fai-chan and Yuui-chan, but... well, he looks like he's pretending that it's not as bad as it is."

"Typical mage." He replies, not quite able to hide the irritation in his voice.

"Maybe we can do something about this, Kuro-daddy. Things are starting to get really, really bad. Fai-chan is really stubborn and keeps using his magic to search for Yuui, and Fai-mommy is always distracted and always tries to act happy all the time." The manjuu says. "It's really, really sad."

He snorts in irritation. _He does that all the time, actually,_ Kurogane thinks.

"I have an idea!" The kid suddenly exclaims. "Let's ask help from Yuuko-san." On his shoulder, the manjuu jumps up and down in agreement.

He is still grumbling about the witch not helping when the jewel in the manjuu's head projects the witch's image on an empty wall. Said witch is watering some plants outside her shop.

"Yuuko-san, good morning." The kid starts to talk to said witch. "Sorry for interrupting you."

"Is it morning there too?" The witch asks. When the kid nods, she greets a good morning too. "I assume that you must have a wish."

Syaoran nods. "Is there anything there that can help Fai-chan, Fai-san's counterpart in this world? He is very sick and weak right now, and it's because he's missing his twin, Yuui, and keeps using his magic to search for Yuui."

"Fai-chan?" She asks while slightly raising an eyebrow.

"The older twin." Kurogane says.

"Ah, him. He is a mage who loses his magic whenever he uses it. The only way to keep him alive is to either make him stop using his magic or make him stop losing magic whenever he uses it. Unfortunately, that is something only a wizard can heal."

"I knew it." Kurogane mumbles under his breath. The bitch witch is not going to help, as usual.

"But, I do have something that can make him stop using his magic." She says. "Watanuki! Bring the potion here!"

"What's the price?" Kurogane asks.

The witch preens. "Sharp as ever, aren't you, Kurogane? Well, the potion actually still needs a spell to activate. My price is that Fai with you on your journey should be the one to cast the spell, and I want a mage staff. You can give it to me after a while."

"EH?" Mokona exclaims. "But Yuuko, Fai-san cannot use his magic anymore!"

"That is the price. You have to make him agree to cast the spell. It's embedded in the drink, so it won't work if Fai won't cast the spell. I'm sending it to you now, so you can decide on it later, on your own. You can return it back if you can't make it work, but I want the mage staff."

The manjuu's mouth expels a bottle of clear liquid, and the screen goes blank.

The kid and the manjuu stare at the bottle before Kurogane snatches it away. "I'll talk to the mage."

Said mage is still in the room upstairs. When Kurogane enters the room, the mage sits up. "Good morning, Kuro-pon."

"Here." Kurogane tosses the bottle to the mage, who catches it before it can land on the bed sheets. (_That was reckless, Kuro-tan!_ The mage complains of recklessness when, in Kurogane's opinion, the only reckless person around here is the mage) "That's a potion to make Fai stop using his magic, but it still needs a spell. The witch says only you can do it."

The mage's eyebrows knit. He stares down at the potion in his hands. "I do know that spell." He says softly. "But I can't use my magic."

"Even for Fai's sake?" Kurogane's eyes narrow.

This time, the mage doesn't respond. He continues to shift the liquid in the bottle, which is shimmering at every ray of light that strikes its surface. After a while, he gets up from his bed and smiles at the ninja. "I bet you haven't eaten breakfast yet, Kuro-pii. I'll go make breakfast downstairs."

_Enough._ His hand automatically reaches out to the mage's elbow as soon as the mage passes by his side, and shoves him against a nearby wall. "Enough, mage. I've had enough of you ignoring and chattering this problem away. Nothing will happen if you don't do anything about it." He says through gritted teeth. "So stop yaddying around and give this to Fai_._"

The mage drops his eyes to the ground. "If I use my magic, I'm endangering all of us. Someone might wake up."

"Then we'll fight Ashura off when he wakes up. This is your last chance to help Fai live." He shoves the mage's elbow away before going downstairs.

The mage, in his full waiter outfit, goes downstairs after a few minutes. He goes straight to the kitchen without bothering to say hello to any of them, and proceeds to make breakfast. The kid and the manjuu, albeit worried, keep their silence. After a few minutes, the mage enters the dining room, with a loaf of bread and a large steaming bowl.

"Breakfast for today is instant noodles and toast." He smiles at the three of them as he places the plate on the table. "I'll be going ahead to the hospital, okay?"

"Fai-san... Will you give him the potion?" The kid asks.

The mage smiles. "I don't know. I'm in a kind of a pinch here, actually." He takes a seat and digs out the bottle from his pocket; his hands . "This must be from Yuuko-san. What was the price?"

"You should cast the spell, and we need to give her a wizard's staff." Syaoran says; his eyes never leaving the mage in that careful, analyzing way of his. The mage should be unnerved.

A quick glance confirms this. His smile is getting more and more strained, and in one instance the twitch under an eye is visible. He sighs, and, unable to stand three observing gazes on him, stands up. "Well, I guess I should be going now. See you later!" He leaves without giving them another chance to talk. The next moment, they find themselves staring at the front door closing behind the mage's back.

There was a pause before Syaoran stands from his seat; his intent to follow the mage pretty obvious. Kurogane catches his left arm before he can pass. "Don't."

"But Kurogane-san..."

"Don't follow him."

It takes another pause before Syaoran takes his seat.

They eat their breakfast and proceed to their daily destinations in concerned silence.

When he arrives in the orphanage, Louie has a puzzled look on his face. "Mr. Kurogane, you're here?"

He almost raises an eyebrow. "Yeah."

"It's the 20th, so it's your day-off." Angel smiles at him. "Pretty enthusiastic to take care of the kids, aren't you?"

So, it was his day-off, apparently. After waking the kids up, he goes straight to the hospital and sees a sleeping twin and a still-drowsy princess. The princess raises her head upon Kurogane's entrance, and says that the mage had just left. She asks him to give a paper to the mage (a hospital bill, she said, I forgot to give it to him a while ago. Gomen). He leaves the two sleeping figures after a while; and for the time spent inside the hospital room, his nape never tingled.

Kurogane heads home. He is a few corner away from their house when he passes by the playground. From his side vision, he sees something playing on the swings wildly, and the squeaking hinges starts to irritate his ears. He turns to look and sees the mage standing at the swing whose sweep reaches the lowest branch of the nearest trees, probably daring the devil to kill him.

"Oi, what the hell are you doing?" Kurogane's voice booms over the mostly-empty rows of apartments.

The mage jerks his head to Kurogane's direction before losing his footing. He fumbles with his left foot while pulling on the swing's chain, making its motion erratic. After a few seconds, the swing has slowed down considerably for him to get off. "That was close! Kuro-chuu, you scared me!"

"Hmp. Not my fault."

"It is!" The mage wipes his (rusty) hands over his black slacks as he approaches Kurogane.

"Tch. So, did you give it to Fai?"

The mage continues smiling. "Ehhhhh~~~ Not really a proper discussion in a public place."

"Then we're going home." He continues walking towards their apartment.

The mage, after a few seconds, falls in step with him. "Why are you back so soon, Kuro-miu?"

"Day-off, apparently. And why are _you_ playing by the swing?"

"Hehe..." The mage smiles cheekily. "I didn't feel like going to work."

Kurogane doesn't need the mage to elaborate. They spend the rest of the walk home in silence. A few more steps and they find themselves in front of their apartment.

"So, did you give it to Fai?" Kurogane asks as soon as they step inside the apartment.

"Eh~ So soon, Kuro?" The mage skimps towards the refrigerator.

"Answer, damn it." His voice is starting to give way to an edgier tone.

The mage sighs; his upper body leaning inside the refrigerator therefore blocking Kurogane's view of his face. "I did it, okay?" He sounds almost tired.

"With magic?"

"Mmm..." The mage straightens up and nods absent-mindedly. He closes the refrigerator and heads towards the kitchen, where he makes sounds of steel and wood clanging. "Eh~~~ We don't have anything for lunch at all!" He exclaims after a minute of searching around. "Why didn't Sakura-chan tell me?"

"She asked me to give this to you." Kurogane hands over the piece of paper.

The mage gets it, and his eyebrows knit in an instant. "Maa..." He says while scratching his nape. He takes a long look at the refrigerator, where monthly bills for electricity and water are pinned, before turning back to Kurogane with a cheeky smile in place. "Do you have money with you right now, Kuro-chuu?"

"Yeah." Kurogane reaches for his wallet and gets the lone 10-dollar bill in it. "This is all I've got."

"Waah~ Kuro-daddy sure gets us through tight situations! Don't worry, I'll pay you back. I'll just go out and buy us food, okay?" The mage sighing in genuine _relief_ speaks clearly about their current financial situation. He changes out of his waiter outfit before stepping out of the door.

With nothing better to do, Kurogane decides to tag along.

He walks to the nearest wet market (more than ten blocks away) with the mage; the smell of tons of meat (both fresh and rotten), the shouts of sweaty laborers, the constant shoving of crowds of people to get past him, and the slimy mud going past his slippers to his feet all starting to get on his nerves. Even the mage is turning a little blue from the sensory overload.

But the mage continues haggling for everything he needs to buy, (_I'll buy two kilos of pork, so could you please cut the price down by half a dollar? I'll add in two bundles of stringbeans, too. Thanks a lot, miss *smile*_), his charms and flirting skills useful for once. He even puts Nihon's housewives to shame. Kurogane's only job was to wait for the mage to finish and carry their plastic bags, which involves standing in a corner to minimize the constant shoving of the crowd and restraining to not scratch his itchy leg where flies are constantly buzzing around. After around an hour of waiting and haggling, he and the mage get out of the accursed wet market. Both smell like shit and have muddy, slimy, sticky, dirty feet.

Upon stepping out of the darn place, the mage starts laughing.

"What the hell is so funny?" Kurogane growls. Spending an hour in a smelly, noisy place never does good to his mood.

"Nothing!" The mage has stopped laughing, but still has a smile of amusement escaping his lips. "It's just that I've never been to this kind of market before. I think even the slaughterhouses in Celes were better than this!" He was still smiling that amused smile when a poster catches his eye. "Can you wait here, Kuro-chuu?" He dashes off in an instant without waiting for Kurogane to answer.

Given the chance to answer, Kurogane would have said he _can't wait_. Since he wasn't given a chance to speak, he had to wait for a minute before the mage comes back clutching a strip of paper. He doesn't bother asking what it was. He just wants to go home.

The mage counts the remaining coins in his pocket on the way home while staring at the paper in hand. After walking a few blocks in silence, he suddenly asks if he can keep the change. Kurogane nods; he doesn't really have any use for money in the meantime.

When they arrive, the mage heads to the kitchen while he goes straight to take a bath and a nap. When he wakes up, the smell of pork is drifting upstairs. He finds the mage fixing the dining table. In the middle of the table is a bowl of soup, good for one serving. "Eat up, Kuro-pin!"

Kurogane raises an eyebrow. "You haven't eaten yet."

"I'm not hungry yet. Besides, I have somewhere to go to."

The mage starts to head towards the door when Kurogane grips on the mage's elbow. "You're eating with me."

"Eh~ You miss me that much? Don't worry, we'll eat together later at dinner!"

"No. Eat."

The mage surrenders and gets a smaller bowl from the kitchen. He gets a quarter of the ninja's soup. Kurogane, sighing in frustration, dumps more, until the mage's soup is at least half of his. The mage attempts to put it back to Kurogane's bowl, of course, but Kurogane holds firm. You're thin enough, Kurogane reasons, and we don't need someone else sick. The mage doesn't protest.

After lunch, the mage asks Kurogane to give Sakura some pork soup in the pot before rushing off to wherever he's headed. Instead, Kurogane replaces the princess in the hospital. During his eight-hour stay in the hospital, the twin woke up only once (_his condition was that bad_). Fai asks him of any news regarding Yuui. He shakes his head, and the twin goes back to sleep. Angel arrives in the hospital 8 in the evening. He asks if Louie was able to find another sponsor, and Angel shakes her head, also saying that they are still unable to contact Fei-Wong for the post-adoption interview. He had to hide his seething. She sends him home.

The mage arrives a few seconds after Kurogane reaches the apartment. When he sees all of the shoes of his companions by the rack, his eyebrows automatically knit together. Kurogane has to tell him that someone from the orphanage took over. He gives a weak smile of relief before placing a paper bag and a big black _case_ by the stairs and proceeding to reheat the pork soup.

"What's this?" Mokona, who went downstairs with Syaoran and Sakura after hearing the door open two consecutive times, hops nearer the paper bag.

"It's my new uniform." The mage says from the kitchen. "I got a new job in a nearby hotel."

"You quit your previous job, Fai-san?" Sakura asks, obviously concerned. She starts to place bowls and utensils on the dining table.

"Err... no. I got another one." He says. A click from the stove says that the soup is warm enough. A few moments later, the mage enters the dining room with a large pot. "Kuro-chuu, dinner~" Kurogane mutters _I know _from the living room.

"Won't that be tiring?" Syaoran asks. He takes his usual seat, followed by the princess and then the ninja.

"It'll be fine." Fai is the last one to sit. "I'm sorry for all of this." He starts. Mokona is about to say something, but he raises a hand, and Mokona shushes up. "I'm really sorry that I got us in a mess because I shouldered Fai-chan's hospital fees. I promise we'll never run out of money again. I got a second job, so I'll be staying out of the house until way past dinner time. So, starting tomorrow, Sakura-chan, I'll be asking a little favor... Could you be the one to cook dinner?"

"It's okay, Fai-san. Please don't worry about dinner anymore." Sakura smiles at Fai with her innocent, caring gaze.

"Fai-san, we understand." Syaoran says. "Actually, I'm sorry for not being able to help get income for us. But I saw an opening in the local library a while ago-"

"I appreciate your help, Syaoran-kun, but I was the one responsible for the extra expenses, so I should be the one to look for extra income." Fai says.

"We want to help, Fai-mommy." Mokona says. "After all, we have been attached to Fai-chan and Yuui-chan. And this is Fai-mommy's counterpart in this world who needs help."

_Attached_. The mage instantly pales. "It will be fine, really. I've worked it out. Besides, Syaoran-kun shouldn't be distracted from looking for the feathers. It's what we're here for, after all."

Syaoran nods after a considerable pause. "I understand. But allow me to find a wizard staff for our payment to Yuuko-san, please."

Kurogane butts in before the mage can protest again. "We'll help, and you're not in a position to tell us not to. We decided on our own freewill to help the brat."

The mage's lips form a thin line before he lets out a sigh of frustration. He starts to eat his soup after receiving a knowing glare from the ninja and three worried gazes from the kid, the princess, and the manjuu. Soon, everyone follows suit.

Morning after, the mage reheats the remaining soup for breakfast. He and Kurogane eat breakfast together before stepping out of the house. He starts heading towards the bus stop before noticing that Kurogane is walking alongside him. "Kuro-pon? The orphanage is the opposite way."

"I'll look for a better-paying job, too."

The mage starts to look like he's going to say something, but he stops immediately. A few steps in silence after, he decides to speak. "Well, okay. But how are we going to get information regarding Fei Wong and Yuui?"

"I'm not quitting the orphanage."

A frown is starting to form in the mage's lips. "Kuro-"

"I said, you're not in a position to talk any of us out of this. It's not just about you, it's about the brat."

The mage doesn't speak for a while. Kurogane turns to look and sees him in an almost-frown. "The hotel was also looking for a porter, if I remember right. Porters get a lot of tips. You'd have to smile and be friendly, though."

"Tch. As long as you don't bug me on purpose."

"I'll keep out of your sight, then." The remoteness of the mage's voice surprises Kurogane.

The bus arrives in an instant, and they both board it. The mage accompanies him to a big, gold, _glittering_ building (This is the hotel, so make your face as friendly as possible before we get in). The doorman instantly greets them, and turns to the mage. "Good morning. It's nice to see you, though I'm afraid your performance will be for 7pm."

The mage smiles back at the porter. "Good morning. I remembered. I just accompanied my friend here, who is also looking for a job. Is the porter vacancy still available?" The mage is obviously in familiar grounds of being friendly and charming and _smiling_.

"Yeah. The head porter is getting desperate, frankly. Who would have thought that the job would be vacant for more than a day? It's usually vacant for only _hours_." The doorman laughs, and then turns to Kurogane. "What's your name?"

"Kurogane." He replies as neutrally-faced as he could. It was the nearest to a friendly face he can muster.

"Ah, Kurogane, huh? Well, you might want to put a smile on your face. The head porter is on the last room down the hallway."

"Thanks a lot. See you later." The mage waves a hand at the doorman, which the doorman gladly returns. After a few steps enough for the doorman to not hear them anymore, the mage pulls closer to him. "You should try to be as friendly as him."

Kurogane had to supress rolling his eyes.

The head porter accepts him as soon as they met, and he is reminded of his meeting with Louie. He is given a paper bag with a uniform in it, and is loaned a book about travelling destinations. "You need to have a background in popular tourist spots, and be physically fit, though I think you're tough enough. Since you're new, we still have to train you and you'll automatically get the night shift. It's 8pm to 5am. Are you taking it?"

After accepting the job and some more formalities, he goes to the orphanage.

"Why?" Louie asks after he says that he found a night-shift job.

"We're short on money. We can't support Fai's hospital bills with our current jobs anymore."

Louie bites his lower lip. "Sorry..." He turns to stare at the window, where a view of the kids playing can be seen. "If I was better in getting other sponsors for Fai, you wouldn't have to work so hard."

"I can still work here in the orphanage, but I might come in at a later time. You can cut my wages, but I want to continue working here so I can hear news about Yuui."

"That's okay with me; I'm not cutting your salary. It's the least I can do to help..."

"The best thing you could do is to know how Yuui is doing. The older twin won't stop asking me about him."

Louie nods silently. Kurogane takes this as a cue to leave the room and proceed with his daily duties, but on his way out, he thought he heard Louie whisper something about 'twins' and 'attachment'.

And so their work arrangement is settled. His interaction with the brats are lessened, but then he now had to deal with sometimes unreasonable and fishy orders on his first day (night, actually) of work in the hotel. The two largest tippers that night were (1) the pervert-looking Armani-wearing guy who asked that dinner be served in their room, asked for scented candles and red and white rose petals all over their bed, asked for a happy anniversary card and some stereo and a flat-screen TV, and a hurried request for a condom _this darrn minute_, which he ran to get from the nearest convenience store – 20 dollars; and (2) the guy who asked for _fifteen big heavy packages_ be brought from the nearest pier to the 12th floor of the hotel – 30 dollars. It was big money, actually, since he still got lots of tips ranging from 5 dollars to ten dollars, but he was almost always at his feet. He passed by the mage four times that evening – when the mage (with a pair of cushioned things on both ears) was preparing to go to the dining lobby and munching on some sugar-coated bread while looking at some stacks of paper; the mage at the dining lobby playing a... small shamisen-like thing placed on the shoulder with a stick where high-pitched sounds are coming; the mage going on tables and playing personally for customers with said shamisen-like thing and stick; and the mage leaving by around midnight. The next time he saw the mage was when he reached home by 5 am and the shrill, annoying alarm clock by the mage's side keeps going off, but said mage keeps swatting it off, and the princess, the kid, and the manjuu were undecided if they should wake him up or not. Kurogane wakes the mage up for them, then he himself goes to sleep. By lunch time, he gets up and goes to the orphanage, and the day repeats itself. It sometimes gets to his nerves – dealing with crying brats by the afternoon and carrying heavy darn packages from certain parts of the city to the upper floors of the hotel by night – but he was used to hard work. When it gets especially grating, he just remembers the first time Souma trained him, and he'd feel better. There can be no hell greater than that.

They work like so for the next days (he had frankly lost count), and the bills pinned to the refrigerator vanish almost as soon as it is placed there, no matter how frequent the bills spawn. However, Kurogane had gone for days without seeing Fai or the mage, and so did the mage. One morning, just after the mage had rushed off to work and Kurogane is about to sleep, Sakura asks him (complete with fidgeting hands and eyes that can't meet his own) if he can visit Fai before he goes to work later. He gives a slightly dismissive nod and sleeps off.

When he wakes up, he rushes out of the house to go to the hospital and sees an even thinner sleeping Fai who is deathly pale. The princess greets him when she sees him peeking by the door. "Kurogane-san! It's very nice that you found time to come. He's looking for you."

"Why does he look even worse?" Kurogane asks the princess.

The princess directs her gaze at the floor. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to cheer him up. He always longed for Yuui, Kurogane-san, but the day before yesterday, he stopped asking for Yuui and asks for Fai-san instead..."

Kurogane raises an eyebrow. "Then why didn't you tell the mage?"

"Fai-san wasn't really himself lately, and..." Sakura's voice fades and her hand flies to her lips "...it seems like Fai-chan's given up on finding Yuui. It scares me."

When Kurogane goes in, the twin is staring at him with glassy blue eyes. "Long time no see, Mister."

"Are you still using your magic?"

The older twin smiles thinly. It was pretty grim. "I can't use it even if I want to. There was something in the last drink Mister Fai gave me, and he cast a spell on me too."

"Then why do you look worse?"

Fai shrugs. "I think it means I will die soon, if I still get worse without using my magic." Said twin is staring at him in the eye.

Kurogane hates to admit it, but it's true. If stopping his magic isn't enough to keep him from getting worse, it's either because he's missing his twin too darn much and has lost his will to live or there is something really wrong with him that the doctors couldn't heal because he isn't a normal human. The next thing they need to do would be to find Yuui. "Don't tell me you've lost your will to live."

"I don't mind dying, if that's what you mean." His hoarse voice is starting to get airier. He coughs a little, then continues. "But you said it yourself; I'm not a normal human, so maybe there's something wrong with me that human doctors can't treat."

Kurogane narrows his eyes. "I didn't say that."

"Oh."

"I thought you can't use your magic anymore."

Fai shrugs. "It's automatic; I'm not consciously using magic and I can't stop it either. This must be how Mister Aiba feels."

"He's been doing it for the past few days, too." Sakura mumbles beside him.

"It's not conscious. I woke up one day seeing through everyone. Mister, even the nurses and doctors think I won't last long, so please stop working so hard and take me out of the hospital."

"No." Kurogane glares. "You're staying here and you better get well."

Fai continues his creepy smiles. He is about to say something when coughs wrack his body. Sakura rushes to his side and tries to comfort him. When he stops, he makes his direct eye contact with Kurogane again. "Please ask Mister Fai to visit sometime. I haven't seen him for a long time."

Kurogane's eyes narrow. Does the brat know about the mage? Said brat is still staring at him with that suddenly creepy stare. It didn't feel right, it was supposed to be Yuui who does all the creepy staring and witty matches. "I'll tell him later."

So when he arrives in the orphanage, the first person he marches to is Louie, and so he asks for Yuui. Still no go, Louie says, not quite meeting his eye. Something's seriously wrong here.

"You know more than what you're saying." He narrows his eyes.

Louie shifts his eyes to his left. "I don't-"

A slammed palm on the table interrupts Louie. "You do. Speak up."

"Fine, but you should know that you might get incriminated too, you know. You're close to the twins, they even spent a few weeks at your place! You should know about their secret." Louie's face instantly hardens.

"So you sold him off because of that?"

"Not everyone's accepting of magic, Mr. Kurogane. And when Fei Wong finds out that the grandchildren of the most powerful mage of all time are under your care, you'd be in a tight spot. The orphanage was in a tight spot. I was being practical. Fei Wong can close down the whole orphanage, and Fai and Yuui are not the only children who are under my care."

It's still very wrong. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"And of what help would it be if I told you?"

"I can do something about it, unlike you."

Louie smiles at him. "You really like the twins that much, do you?"

"No, I just don't like innocents dying."

Louie reaches down his lower cabinet and hands Kurogane a card. "Here's his address. I checked, but he's not there, his guard says. Went to another country. Maybe you can find a lead. But if you go, you should know that you're facing one of the most prominent leaders of the country."

Kurogane takes it. He can't understand it, but he can make the kid or the mage read it, both being able to read this world's writing.

OoOoO

When he finds a beat of no orders from the head porter or requests from any of the customers, he heads to the dining room. It was empty. He looks around, and sees the doorman smiling at no one in particular; just the door, maybe. He approaches the doorman. "Hey, where's the ma-" err... "...blonde who plays music in the dining room?"

The doorman turns to him with a slightly raised eyebrow. "You mean your friend, Mr. Fai? He's at the hotel bar. Turn right in that corridor, three doors from end. Great musician, that guy. Customers love him."

He turns to the said corridor while muttering a thanks. He opens the door and finds a dark room with dim lights and the smell of alcohol wafting through the air. There were musical notes lingering in the air, but it wasn't as continuous and as high-pitched as the mage's shamisen-like thing and it came from a blocky brown... note-producing thing with someone sitting on a stool behind it. He looks around and sees the mage talking to a table of customers while holding a tray of bottles of clear liquid. He rushes by the mage's side. "Oi, we need to talk." He says as he grabs the mage's elbow.

The mage turns to the customers with a smile, saying he'll do their request right after two other requests, before turning to face him completely. "What is it, Kuro-tan? Make it quick, I still have lots of requests."

"You have to go to the hospital tomorrow." He says. "Fai's looking for you."

"Me?" The mage asks, his finger pointing to his chest.

"Yeah. And he's even worse. He will die if he continues like this."

The mage turns his gaze to the floor. "He can't." he murmurs.

"He might." Kurogane had to make the mage get it right. He had been denying it all this time; it was better that he be prepared should the moment come. "And we have a problem."

"Problem?" The mage asks, his eyes still on the floor.

And he says everything about Louie and Yuui and Fei Wong, at least the best that he can. "Louie knew why Fei Wong adopted Yuui; he was scared of both the brat and Fei Wong, so he allowed it. He gave me the address where Fei Wong lives, but I can't uderstand the writing. I haven't told Fai about it yet."

The mage jerks his head up and opens his mouth to say something, but is cut by someone calling his name. Both of them turn and see the guy from the... blocky brown note-producing thing. The mage waves at the guy and smiles at Kurogane. "Don't tell him. I have to go, Kuro-tan." And he runs to the stage, says something to the guy behind the blocky brown thing, and goes to the microphone. "I hope everyone is still enjoying the night. We have three requested songs right now; the first by someone who wishes to be unnamed. Sing with me if you know it." He turns to the guy behind the block thing, and the guy picks up a big shamisen from beside the brown block.

The guy strums slowly once, and the mage sings.

Kurogane isn't quite sure what it was – the dimness of the place, the mage's soft singing voice, or the careful strumming of the shamisen – but suddenly, the room was colder. The song is soft and _submissively mellow. _He cannot think of any other way to describe the shamisen-thing strings plucked carefully and the cold voice of the mage who seems to have forgotten that he was trying to mask his loneliness. No one sang; they all listened to the mage's resigned singing. Even when the song reached its climax, the mage raised his voice, but then his voice fades and he lets the shamisen-thing pluck on its own. When he sings again, it was in the softer voice, and his voice fades along with the fading shamisen strums; it was as if he is accepting all his previous defeats, this defeat, and all other defeats that he will ever encounter. Kurogane can't help but feel annoyance. The shamisen strums one last time, and it is done.

The whole room pauses for a second before someone remembers to clap. Others follow suit, and soon the whole room is clapping with appreciation. Not enthusiasm.

Kurogane glares at the mage when he smiles his stupid fake smile and announces that he is singing another requested song, this time happier to offset the sad mood from the previous one. Someone raises a hand and says that he is retracting his request, could he please sing something mellow again? The request echoes among the patrons, and the mage finds himself singing his loneliness and frustrations out til midnight.

NOTE:

Mokona is a guy (he said so in a cameo in Kobato, ep 20), but since I started the fic thinking Mokona's a girl, I'll continue with refering to him as a 'she' Just an FYI. :3

I got a little side-tracked. I wanted to write more about Kuro's and Fai's life in the hotel, so a lot of portions had to be editted out. :)) If anyone's interested, the song I imagine Fai singing at the end is "Di na mababawi" by Spongecola, a break up song from our country. It has a melancholic tone in it, but the lyrics can't be added since it's in Filipino. It suddenly played in my head during a Physics lecture, and the first thing that popped up was Fai staring out of a window with his hair messed up and his eyes covered by his hair. _ Talk about random Fai-melancholy. Then again, if you know of any sad accoustic song, you can fit it right there just fine :P

Well, there goes. Thanks for reading. :D


	9. Chapter 9

9.

The kid was unsuccessful in finding Fei Wong and is apologizing furiously to the mage.

"I'm so sorry, Fai-san. Only guards were in Fei Wong's rest house. A car left by the gate and I followed it, but when a guard noticed me and talked to me, I cannot understand what he was saying. He pointed a gun and tried to shoot me." Throughout the explanation, the mage kept silently slumped on the couch. He is pale from a slight fever, and Kurogane did not allow him to step out of the door to go to work. Really, the last thing they needed was someone else sick.

Kurogane, on the other hand, is bursting with aggression. "Why didn't you bring me or the manjuu with you?"

"I wanted to gather more information before we try to rescue Yuui." The kid was referring to their first two botched attempts. Kurogane quit his job at the hotel to find time to search for Yuui. Their first attempt was the address Louie gave him. It was Fei Wong's main residence, but he was not there, nor was any of his guards. It was simply empty, even abandoned. He and the kid went in, but there was no sign of toddler or even magic. They got another address from the telephone book, but it was Fei Wong's government office. It was bursting with magic, but naturally, they saw no trace of Yuui. Since then, the kid stalked Fei Wong's different houses. "I'm not sure if Yuui is there, but it showed the most activity among Fei Wong's houses. Can the two of you come with me?"

The manjuu hasn't even hopped to the kid's shoulder when the phone rings. The kid picks it up and hands it to Kurogane.

Kurogane knows what it was. He felt cold sweat break, and his hands felt icy even to his touch. After talking to the nurse for a few seconds, he informs the mage. "It's the hospital. Fai is looking for us, mage."

The mage does not move an inch even though everyone is staring at him. "Mage, let's go." It was only then when the mage moved, but it was sluggish, even dreadful. The mage knows, and so does he: It was almost Fai's time, and they still do not have Yuui.

The trip to the hospital was painfully silent. The cab driver seemed to feel the tension as well, because he did not utter a word other than the amount of their fare. The mage was still holding up pretty well until they arrived at Fai's room and saw his scrawny, boney frame. When Fai's unsteady gaze fell on them, the mage ran away. He approaches Fai's bedside, tells the twin to hold on, and then runs after the mage.

Kurogane sees the mage leaning forward one of the hospital windows, his gaze hovering at the playground four stories below. From their spot, the children's gleeful shouts and hoots of laughter are distant sounds. The breeze leaves the mage's hair in a ruffled mess, and he never made a move to smoothen his hair or at least clear his eyes of the golden strands that suddenly clamped over them. Kurogane can only see his nose and his tightly shut lips.

"You have to go back."

He shakes his head. Even from a few feet away, Kurogane can see his breath hitching.

"He's asking for you."

He opens his lips, his chin quivering in the process, before shutting it tighter than before. He shakes his head again.

Kurogane takes the place beside the mage. "You have to. He's going to die anytime soon." He says; his voice a bar lower than the faded cries from below.

"I'll go insane." The mage can manage nothing more than whispering his words. "I'll go insane the moment I see him die. Please don't make me watch him die." A drop of tear goes crashing down the playground.

"You're Yuui's stand in. If you don't go, he's going to die alone." He places a firm hand over the mage's shoulder. "It's the best thing you can give to him."

The mage lets out a huff of breath before covering his face with both his hands. He stayed like that for a few seconds before he takes a deep quivering breath. He straightens up, though he keeps his head bowed and his hair still blocking his eyes. Kurogane walks beside him all the way to Fai's room. All the while, he kept his head bowed and never uttered a word.

Fai is looking at the door when they enter. He motions the mage to go nearer him, and the mage does. His hand slowly reaches out for the mage's, but never quite leaving the covers. The mage gives his hand, and a drop of tear drops on the back of Fai's hand. "I'm sorry, Mr. Fai." Fai whispers, _gasps_ even, to the mage.

The mage merely shakes his head.

"You saw... your Fai die, didn't you?"

The mage's head jerks up, and Kurogane sees his blue eyes drowning in tears forcibly kept at bay. He opens his mouth to start saying something before he shuts it again by biting his lip.

"This..." Fai gives way to a train of coughs before continuing. "Must hurt you a lot... but please stay. I want a Yuui beside me when I go... Your twin is very lucky to have..." He pauses to catch his breath. "To have you by his side..."

"No." The mage's reply is choked. "Not at all." His tears start to flow down his cheeks, and they aren't stopping anytime soon. "Please wait for Yuui. He promised he'd be back. Syaoran-kun found a new house and-"

"This is... the farthest... my body can take me..." A train of coughs wrecks him again, and the mage tightens his hold over Fai's hand.

"Yuui is going to be very sad. He'll blame himself for your death, so please live on. At least wait for him to go back. We're already looking for him."

Fai shakes his head again, this time with a small smile. He motions the mage to come closer, and when the mage does, he kisses the mage's cheek.

The mage turns to him, and a drop of tear fall on Fai's cheek, followed by another. The mage kisses Fai's forehead and he stays in the position for a few seconds. He is crying openly now, his soft, silent sobs wracking his own body and his tears dropping on Fai's hair and forehead. When he pulls away, he notices Fai's wet forehead. He takes a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes away the tears.

"Don't blame yourself... It wasn't your fault... and wherever your Fai is... He'll be happier if you are truly happy." He starts to cough again. Kurogane can see that it's getting harder and harder for him to speak. "Should Yuui... blame himself...p-please tell him it was ne-never…his... fault..." His breath is getting quicker and shallower.

The mage was starting to get hysterical and repeatedly crying 'no'. Kurogane stands behind him and puts a firm hand over his shoulder. He turns around, and his eyes widen as he realizes it _is _time. A sob escapes his lips, but he presses them together right after and brings the older twin's hand to his lips.

"I'm sure... your twin... would say the same..."

The mage simply nods; the older twin's hand still pressed tightly to his lips.

"Thank you... caring for us... Please tell... I love Yuui...-"

A final hitched breath, and he was gone.

And the mage lets all sobs break loose. Kurogane presses a button, just like how the nurse instructed them should there be any emergencies, but has accepted that Fai is gone. Instead, he turns to the mage, who is clutching the dead twin's hand like it was life itself. The mage's hair is trashing around, and so are the curtains and some of the papers that the nurse left. The wind is starting to get stronger and stronger, and he can see a peek of blue magical swirls by the feet of the chair where the mage is sitting on.

"Let him rest peacefully."

The mage turns to the direction of the voice and sees Kurogane. The wildness in his eyes simmers down until they have calmed considerably, and so did the enchanted wind circulating the hospital room. Just in time, too – the doctors and the nurses entered the hospital room.

After trying to revive Fai for a few minutes, they pronounce him dead. Kurogane leaves the mage for a quick phone call to Louie. He had already told Louie that Fai died, and Louie was saying that Angel is already on her way when the caretaker starts babbling nonsense. He was about to shout at the caretaker for even daring to talk nonsense at a time like this when he realizes that he cannot understand what everyone around him was saying. The last time this happened, it was because the manjuu was kidnapped. This time, the other three probably wandered off to far. If they do get involved with Fei Wong, they can get into serious trouble.

He hangs up and approaches the mage, who was sitting just outside the mortuary. "Mage."

The mage doesn't look up. He probably didn't notice that everyone was already speaking in a different language.

Kurogane pulls on the mage's arm. "We have to find the kid, the princess, and the manjuu. They went to look for Yuui."

The mage looks up at the mention of Yuui, with a look of confusion and slight defensiveness. He probably thought Kurogane was calling him by the name of 'Yuui.' So Kurogane resorted to motions. "Fai." He gestured towards the mortuary. "Yuui." He points outside the window.

The confusion in the mage's eyes clears, but he does not move. He doesn't seem to want to move. He babbles something incoherently, but Kurogane knows that tone. It was defeat. And what scared the ninja most was its authenticity. It was the first time the mage spoke something with utmost sincerity, and it had to ooze with submission to fate.

Kurogane also knows the pain of loss, but they have things to do and people to save. He cannot leave the mage alone here, either, since the mage might do something stupid. "We cannot save Fai anymore, but we can still save the kid, the princess, the manjuu, and Yuui. We have to. Let's go." He was unconscious of his softened tone. He gives another tug at the mage's arm, but this time, it does not meet resistance. The mage stands up and follows him.

The mage earns a bit of Kurogane's respect – despite his devastating loss, he somehow still had the energy and the will to find the kid, the princess and the manjuu. Kurogane steals a glance towards him. He is expressionless, and seemed a bit lost for a few moments before he notices the ninja's stare. Then he smiles, a tired but still somewhat comforting smile given the circumstances. So maybe it's just the mage's mask, keeping his composure intact when he just lost his twin for the second time.

After three hours of searching, they reach the park for the nth time. Kurogane notices the mage's dragged feet, so he turns and sees his companion (who still manages to force a weary smile) pale and on the verge of fainting. He suddenly had the urge to slap his forehead when he remembers that the mage has a slight fever and hasn't grabbed a bite since yesterday's lunch. The mental and emotional exhaustion must have added. He drags his companion by the wrist to the nearest bench and buys a waffle.

Buying a waffle without conversation was easier than he thought – all it took were gestures. Or maybe the attendant was scared of him and just gave him what he wanted. In any case, it took less than a minute before he handed the mage two pieces of chocolate waffles. The mage just took one from his hand. "Get it, mage, I'm not hungry." He almost grumbles.

The mage seems to understand what Kurogane said (not that there were many options to choose from). He says something in his own tongue, smiles, and then continues eating a single waffle.

"I'm not sick, I'm not about to faint, and that thing is chocolate." Kurogane knows that the mage cannot understand what he is saying, but he speaks anyway, just so the other knows that the waffle is still up for grabs.

"It's probably past lunch time already so you will get hungry later on if we continue looking for Moko-chan. You should have bought something other than chocolate if you really hate it so much." The mage laughs a little. He munches on the last bite. "See, I'm done with mine, so be a good puppy and eat yours."

"No, still not eating it. It's a damn chocolate waffle." Kurogane continues huffing before he realized that he actually understood what the mage says. He jerks his head towards the mage and sees the mage staring back at him with wide surprised eyes. They head to the hospital without another spoken word, leaving a chocolate waffle on the bench.

They arrive just in time – a long, white car was parked in front of the hospital entrance. They start walking towards the car. The kid hops out first, followed by the princess with the manjuu on the shoulder. A longhaired man in a sharp business suit followed them. The last one out is Yuui, looking almost as pale and sullen as his older twin a few days ago.

The mage's sudden stop catches Kurogane's eye. He turns around and sees the mage gaping not at Yuui, but the man with them. In an instant, he knew the man's name – the mage's actions and this world's parallelism is enough.

That man is Ashura.

Unconscious of his actions, Kurogane puts himself between the mage and Ashura. He places a firm grip on the mage's wrist, and in the corner of his eyes, he sees the mage slowly regain composure. They both watch with silent tension as the car rolls off the hospital driveway.

The kid is the first to see them. "Fai-san! Kurogane-san! We found Yuui!" He exclaims as soon as his eyes land on them. The princess and the manjuu follow, but the princess soon notices that something is wrong.

"Is something wrong, Fai-san, Kurogane-san?" The princess has a worried look on her eyes.

The kid notices that his two older companions were staring at the other guy suspiciously. "That's Ashura-san. He helped us get away when the guards were chasing us."

_I know he's Ashura_. Kurogane grits his teeth to keep the sentence from coming out. The longhaired man stares at him and the mage with silent curiosity. Before he can inquire further, though, the younger twin speaks.

"Where's Fai-chan?"

He is jolted back to the other issue at hand. How was he supposed to tell the younger twin that Fai died just a few hours ago? Not when the younger twin looked like he had been through hell and back – unkempt hair, scratches and bandages all over, incredible pallor, sunken eyes, and several pounds lost. He does not recognize the younger twin's shirt and jeans, either (Yuui never owned a pair of jeans). Probably someone, _namely Ashura_, picked him up, tended to his wounds and replaced his tattered clothes.

A few moments of silence proves that he does not have to speak at all. It is Yuui he is dealing with after all; the sharp twin too smart for his own good. Just like a character in a movie, Yuui's eyes widened gradually and his jaws slackened.

The princess understood as well. She rushes back to the younger twin and gives him a bear hug. "No… you're kidding." He gives a weak reply to his own question. He is slowly shaking his head, sending tears hanging by his eyelashes to run down his cheeks.

Kurogane manages to reply despite his tight throat. "I never kid."

It starts out as a slight tingle, but as Yuui starts hitching his breath, he can feel the tingling sensation on his nape strengthen. It was the same when he's with his mother, the manjuu, and more recently, the mage. The slight gust of wind is starting to get stronger, and he can already see blue swirls peeking from under Yuui's shoes and the princess' dress. Yuui is losing control of his magic in the middle of the city.

The mage reacted swiftly. He kisses Yuui's forehead, and suddenly, the younger twin flops unconscious. The kid asks him what he did.

The longhaired man answers for the mage. "A spell to render someone unconscious." His gaze is still curious as he gives the mage and the ninja a complete run through. He surely did not miss the mage's sudden stifled shock. "Quick thinking."

The mage is frozen for half a second before turning to Ashura. "Thank you." His voice almost wavers at the end of the sentence, but he keeps enough calm to continue speaking. "Do you live somewhere near Fei Wong's house, Ashura-san?"

Ashura shakes his head. "No, but I sensed a great surge of magic, so I rushed to its direction. I thought one of my fellow magicians was in trouble. It was there that I found your friends." The mage still continues staring at him even after he speaks.

Louie's appearance disrupts the growing tense silence. He came from the hospital lobby (from the general direction of the mortuary, to be more specific). "Mr. Kurogane, there you are. I was looking for you for the past hour. They already…" His voice fades as his eyes land on Yuui's sleeping form before slowly moving back to Kurogane. He tries to mask his fear, but to Kurogane, he failed big time.

"He's back." Kurogane simply says. He gets the younger twin from the princess' shoulders and carries him inside the lobby. "What happened to Fai's body?"

"They just started embalming him. We can bring him back to the orphanage after a few hours." His gaze never left Yuui again. He follows Kurogane to the hospital lobby. "He looks tired. I think you should take him back to the orphanage. Or your house, if you'd like."

"We'll take him home." Kurogane says. He turns to the mage. "Stay here to check on Fai's body and his hospital fees. We'll take Yuui home."

The mage nods. He smiles at Louie (his mask is functional again, it seems), and they go to the direction of the mortuary. When his back disappears from their view, the ninja turns to Ashura. "We can use a ride."

Ashura nods. He turns to one of the guys guarding him, who then nods and makes a call. A few seconds after, the long car is back.

When they get inside the privacy of Ashura's car, the kid narrates what happened. He went back to the warehouse where Fei Wong's car went. It was already in a state of chaos when the kid, the manjuu, and the princess arrived, so the kid was sure that Yuui is inside. The kid wanted to leave the princess and the manjuu outside, but the manjuu felt a powerful source inside, so they tagged along.

Inside the warehouse were stacks of storage boxes. There were bodies of dead guards on the ground, all frozen to death. There were more guards rushing to the center. They followed, but they were discovered, so the kid had to disable the group of guards. There was a slight breeze inside the building, and as they followed the corridor, it strengthened. So they went straight to the room ahead, but even from the distance, the kid said he could see a lot of Yuui's blue magical swirls inside.

The kid pauses. He stares at the princess, then the younger twin, before continuing. "Yuui was standing inside a broken capsule in the middle of the room. He was covered in blood. His eyes were darting around, like a wild animal. Most of the guards were lying dead on the floor, while some were shooting him, but his magical swirls caught the bullets and sent them back to the guards. The bullets killed them instantly. He was about to attack me, but I think he recognized me. His magic suddenly dropped, then he collapsed, so I carried him out of the capsule.

"Mokona went to one of the corpses at a higher perch. It was Fei Wong. He was holding a staff that emitted a high amount of magic, but it did not contain a feather. We took it with us because we still need to repay Yuuko-san for the potion." He pats a wooden staff on the car floor.

Kurogane glares at the manjuu. "Do we still have to pay her? Fai died."

"But we used the potion, so Yuuko-san still needs her compensation." Mokona says, all cheer and playfulness gone in her voice. Kurogane glares at her again before going back to the kid.

The kid continues narrating. "There were even greater waves of guards entering the building, so we rushed outside as fast as we can, but we were becoming overwhelmed. It was then that Ashura-san and his men arrived. They helped us clear the area enough for an escape, and then they tended to Yuui's wounds."

"They had children's clothes with them, too?" Kurogane asks, suspicion apparent in his voice.

"We bought those on the way to the hospital." Ashura's calm voice answers Kurogane. "We figured that Yuui's twin shouldn't see him in clothes caked with blood."

"What… What happened, Kurogane-san?" The princess asks. Her eyes are shiny.

"He died almost as soon as we arrived. Looks like he just waited for someone before passing." He waited for Yuui, and when he realized his twin wasn't coming back soon, he just waited for the mage. Pity he couldn't hold on a few more hours longer.

"Was he in pain?" The question startles Kurogane. It was from Yuui, still slumped on the ninja's thighs. He hasn't moved a muscle, but his gaze shows that he is wide-awake.

"He was having trouble breathing and speaking. But he said he wants you to be happy." Kurogane wants to say more, but everything else that the older twin said has escaped his normally sharp memory. There were just too many things that happened in such a short amount of time, and somehow, it took its toll without him realizing.

"How can I be when he's gone?" Yuui burrows his tears on Kurogane's pants.

The princess hugs him. "How did…. Did he say anything else?" She's trying to keep her tears at bay, and she looks like she's going to lose soon.

"I can't remember the exact things he said. Ask the mage; it probably stuck on him." No, not probably. Kurogane was sure it stuck on the mage.

The rest of the trip home, which was not that long, comprises of the kid filling in Yuui with the decline of Fai's state of health. Though he has stopped sobbing, Yuui's eyes are in a permanent wince as he listens to every painful word that the kid says. The princess' hug offers a lot of comfort, but is still not enough for someone who just lost his only remaining family.

When they reach their apartment, the kid requests Ashura to stay with them and grab some bite. Which is perfect, since if the kid had not, then Kurogane would have to talk Ashura into staying, and he is not usually good with gentle persuasion. They get out of Ashura's car (or limousine, so he heard). The princess and Ashura hold each of Yuui's hand, the manjuu sits on his shoulder, and the kid clutches the long staff as he gets off the car.

The princess reheats the breakfast that the mage made, and serves it on the dining table. Everyone eats; Ashura occupies the mage's seat while Yuui occupies Fai's seat (at least before he was admitted to the hospital). It almost settles into silence, but Kurogane breaks it.

"Do you live in this world?" He asks Ashura, who was eating soup in the careful manner of a royalty.

"What do you mean?" There are no facial movements that indicate anything but confusion.

"Have you heard of other worlds, Ashura-san?" The kid answers for Kurogane.

Ashura's tone of voice is steady. "No, though I grew up with stories about other worlds and other dimensions. I thought they were just legends." There is nothing at all to indicate that he is lying. Kurogane can pick up nothing but his nobility, but still senses that there is something wrong with him. He is just too good to be true. Or maybe it's just his magical nature; Kurogane never trusted wizards that much. "Are you from another world?"

"Yes, we travel through different worlds. We're trying to retrieve Sakura-hime's feathers which are scattered over a lot of worlds."

Ashura wanted to ask more, but the manjuu's jewel suddenly lights up, and in a moment, the witch's image is on the wall of the dining room (Kurogane hisses at the manjuu and tells her to not do it on the dining table, but it was too late, and she rarely listens to him anyway).

The witch is not smiling. She's not even wearing her provocative clothes. Instead, she was wearing a plain black kimono. It seems like she knows about the older twin's death. "Good afternoon. I see you got Yuui back."

"We did, Yuuko, but it was still too late." Mokona half-sobs. "Fai passed away while we were on our way."

"I'm sorry for your loss." The witch is staring at them serenely.

"Your potion did not work, the other twin still died. Do we still have to pay you or it?" Kurogane glares at the witch.

Yuuko's half smile irritates the ninja further. "It meant that his complications were not because of the use of his magic. You knew that, Kurogane. Besides, my potions always work." If Kurogane were not that angry with her during that time, he would have noticed that she was actually sad about Fai's death. She then dismisses him and his question. "Do you have a staff as payment for Fai's potion?"

The kid gets the staff from the corner of the room. "It's here, Yuuko-san."

Instead of taking the staff, Yuuko asks Yuui. "This was your late grandfather's staff, wasn't it, Yuui-kun?" When the younger twin nods, she turns to Ashura. "Do you want it, Ashura-san?" They have not even introduced Ashura to the darn witch, and yet she already knew his name.

Ashura is surprised, but he smiles smoothly at Yuuko. "Everyone in this world wants to have that staff, Yuuko-san. It's been owned by the lineage of the most powerful magicians in this world."

"Then you can have it on two conditions." She pauses. "You should adopt Yuui-kun, and you should hand over the feather."

Ashura smiles. "To be honest, I was already considering both."

"Then here you go." The staff flies from the kid to Ashura, who was staring at it with an almost awed expression.

"Do you mind?" Ashura asks Yuui first before he touches the floating staff. Only when Yuui shook his head did he get the staff from the air.

Kurogane wonders if this was how the mage met the king of Celes – a bargain with the witch. When he looks back at the half-smiling witch on the wall, he was almost certain. And he was almost certain that the witch knows what happened to the mage and his king, and what will happen to Yuui and this world's Ashura. He wants to bash the wall. "If you're controlling it, then how much of it is hitsuzen?"

"As much as if you did not get involved in this world." Her gaze is piercing, and at that instant, the ninja is sure she knows everything and she knows what she is doing, just like a chess grandmaster. "Where's Fai?"

"In the hospital, taking care of the other twin's papers." Kurogane replies. Witches and wizards; damn witches and wizards. He'll never trust one in his whole life.

"Then please extend my condolences to him as well." She says and then disappears, but not before another knowing gaze at Kurogane.

Kurogane never felt as much anger as he did for such a long time. _The fucking witch knew all along_. She knew what happened, what was going to happen, and what she had to do to make it happen. He casts one final glare at the wall.

"What time is Mr. Fai going back?" Yuui asks.

"Maybe as soon as they fix Fai's papers." And Fai's body, but Kurogane does not say it out loud. Everyone in the room seems to hear his unspoken words, because Yuui almost cringes and the princess places a comforting grip on the younger twin's hand.

They wait for some more minutes, but Ashura receives a phone call and had to go. He promised to be back for Yuui and bring the feather with him. He even offered to leave the staff behind as warrantee, but the kid said it's okay to bring the staff with him. Kurogane does not doubt his word. They wait in another tense silence for the mage, until the princess breaks the silence.

"What happened in Fei Wong's warehouse, Yuui-kun?" She is still holding the younger twin's hand. "Why were you in the capsule?"

Yuui does not speak for a while, and when he did, he said he'd rather not talk about it. They were back to a tense silence as they wait for the mage.

They did not have to wait for a long time. Half an hour after Ashura left, the mage appears in the apartment doorway. He does not notice them at first – he is removing both his shoes in a methodical manner: hold the sole, push it down, slide foot out, put on floor. He is on the process of removing his coat when he notices his companions. He forces out a smile.

"I didn't notice you guys. Why didn't you say something?" He says. His actions are faster and more cheerful now.

The princess gets up. "We already ate lunch, Fai-san, but there are still some soup left. I'll reheat it for you."

The kid, sensing the mage's hesitance, gets up and follows the princess to the kitchen. The manjuu stays, but the kid scoops her up from the couch and places her on his shoulder.

"No, it's okay. I can reheat the soup myself." The mage makes a motion to go to the kitchen, but Kurogane catches his elbow.

"No, stay here." His tone is not even suggestive, but rather commanding. "Yuui wants to hear about Fai."

The mage takes a few moments to stare at Yuui, who was giving the same stare that he has. Their undeniable similarities unnerve Kurogane so much. They had the same reaction when they learned that Fai died, they now have the same stare, and they have the same awkward posture telling the world that they both have a secret they are not willing to tell.

"I'm sorry for your loss." The mage finally breaks the silence. He was technically talking to himself, and he and Kurogane know it.

"I'd like to know how he died, please." Yuui is talking with his eyes staring straight at the mage, as though he is aware how big a favor he is asking.

Kurogane's tone is slightly apologetic, but the mage can tell the difference. "I forgot his exact words."

He has not started talking yet, but the mage's pain is evident in his eyes. "Of course, you're his twin after all." So he settles down the couch and draws out one painful detail after another. Kurogane can almost see Fai's death playing out again, and his throat tightens against his will.

The mage skipped out how he first ran out of the room and how Kurogane had to bring him back. He also did not tell the younger twin that he also lost control of his own magic. Yuui did not seem to mind or even notice the missing details, though, since the younger twin was already having trouble controlling his sobs.

The mage extends an awkward hand towards Yuui, but the younger twin speaks even before the hand reaches his shoulder. "So you _are_ my counterpart. You knew all along." Despite the tears brimming on his eyes, his stare is clear, piercing, and hurt.

The mage retracts his hand and smiles wearily. "I told you that we shouldn't have the same lives just because we have the same soul." He shakes his head slightly. "There are some people in our journey that we met more than once. One of them was an evil overlord in one town, but the next time we saw him, he was a captain of a ship. He even helped us out. Most had pretty similar personalities, but they had different occupations and different lives, I presume." The mage never affirmed it (Not that any of them needed affirmation).

Yuui does not respond. Instead, he gets up from his seat and hugs the mage, who was surprised but hugged him back nevertheless.

"Does it get better?" His question is muffled against the mage's shirt.

Kurogane (and probably the sharp younger twin) can deduce from the mage's eyes that it does not, but he lies anyway. "Who knows?"

The princess peeks from the dining room and tells the mage that his lunch is ready. Yuui gets off him, and when he stands up, the younger twin gives him a half-hug and leads him to the kitchen.

While the mage is eating, the kid tells the story of how they found Yuui and why Ashura was with them. Yuui is pale and silent when the kid recalled how he found the younger twin, but the princess gives him a half hug, which released some stress off his shoulder.

The mage, on the other hand, did not show any visible reaction. He has either numbed out (Kurogane is sure that absolutely _nothing_ can break the mask or surprise the mage anymore, at least for this day), or he already expects that something similar happened to his counterpart in this world. Kurogane wonders if the mage has killed a group of people when he was younger, just like Yuui did. It wasn't Yuui's fault either, and he has a feeling that the both of them carry a silent guilt over the turn of events.

The kid goes on to talk about the witch's deal with this world's Ashura – Yuui's late grandfather's staff, their payment for Fai's potion, in exchange of Yuui's adoption and the feather. He adds that the witch also extended her condolences to the mage. There was no reaction at all from said mage but a polite smile and a message of appreciation to the witch given to the manjuu, who promised to forward it. Kurogane is not surprised.

After the mage eats and the princess and the kid wash the dishes (the mage insisted on washing, but both of them all but pushed him out of the kitchen), they all decide that some of them should sleep while the others should visit Fai's funeral in the orphanage. Yuui wanted to come, but Kurogane, fearing he might lose control of his magic again in his exhausted state, literally dragged him to the bedroom and insisted that he take some rest first before he visits his twin. The kid, the princess, and the manjuu already wanted to go to the funeral, so Kurogane decides to look after their two most worn-out members. The three leave almost as soon as Kurogane allowed them.

"Go to the bedroom, mage." He tells the mage who is starting to take a nap on the couch.

"But this is where I normally sleep, Kuro-chu. Did you forget already?" Even the mage's playful tone sounds beat tired. He clearly should get some rest.

"Go sleep in the room with Yuui. He needs company, and you need a proper rest. You're still running a fever. I'm going to wait here in case Ashura arrives." Kurogane replies. Noticing the mage's apprehension, he speaks about his observation from this world's Ashura. "He's not your king, but he's still fishy."

The mage is still not moving. "How do you know?"

"He's from this world, and he did not know about the existence of other worlds before he heard it from us. Though he's not lying, he's just too good to be true." The mage is slightly comforted at this, so he concedes to staying in the bedroom with the younger twin.

Kurogane had the lower floor by himself. The house became comfortably silent after the mage and Yuui slept. In this calm after the storm, he realizes just how frustrated he is in everything that happened. They all lived with adrenaline rush for the past few hours, but now that things have settled (albeit tragically), he can analyze everything that happened. It spiraled totally out of control. There were so many mistakes made, so many errors of judgment that resulted in the loss of a life. While he was trying to pinpoint all their grave mistakes, he fell asleep. He did not realize that he was that exhausted (ninjas almost never fall asleep without their own consent. It's part of the job).

Kurogane wakes up when a car honks outside the gate. It was Ashura together with the kid, the princess, and the manjuu. He came to the orphanage to check if Yuui was there, he said, and met the three along the way, so he gave them a ride. After the princess offers him tea, he brings out a container holding the princess' feather, which causes the princess to enter another feather-induced sleep.

"We already have all the feathers in this world, Kurogane-san." The kid says as he carefully lays the princess on the couch. It is unspoken but there: _It's time to leave this world_.

Ashura detects their unspoken words as well. "Is it time for you to leave this world?"

The manjuu and the kid silently nod. Kurogane cannot keep himself from looking upstairs, where the other twin is sleeping.

The longhaired man senses Kurogane's concern, so he tries to give reassurance. "Don't worry about Yuui. I promise I'll take care of him." He must have seen the ninja's hesitance, because one of his noble eyebrows started to rise for a moment. But still, if he is as true to his words as he seems, then why should the mage run away from him so badly that he'd rather not go back to his own world?

He is about to say that they should at least wait until the mage, Yuui, and the princess wake up from their sleeps, but the four of them hear steps going downstairs. It was the mage and Yuui.

"I sensed a strong presence of power. What was that?" Yuui asks. He looks like a mini-adult. He matured so much in a span of a few weeks. Whatever he had been through must be hell. Based on their conversation earlier, whatever he had been through was probably parallel to the mage's experience. And based on the mage's expression earlier, it does not get better. This gives Kurogane goose bumps. Was it really that bad?

"It was another of Sakura-chan's feathers." Mokona says.

"Are you leaving?" Yuui's icier and more sober tone (compared to his more playful tone from a few weeks ago) will never grow on Kurogane. Damn it, he cannot even imagine the mage using that tone.

"When the princess wakes up." He answers. Cue to the princess' eyelids fluttering and opening, staring straight at the kid. These people's timing is just impeccable. Must have been why they have made it this far into their journey.

The manjuu tells them to pack their clothes from this world, and other resources they might be able to trade for the next world (Kurogane grumbles that he is not taking orders from a stupid manjuu, but he does it anyway. Not that he concedes to the manjuu, but because it makes sense and that's what he would have done by himself). They scatter to their rooms one by one, leaving Ashura drinking his tea in the living room.

As Kurogane goes to his room, he sees the twin going to the princess and the kid's room. He assumes the twin wants to say his farewell.

Packing belongings in his and the mage's shared room is comfortably silent – both of them are lost in their own thoughts. Kurogane takes the chance to contemplate on the many clues that the witch carelessly dropped into their conversation a while ago. _As much as if you did not get involved in this world_, she said. It was true, he supposed. If the kid hasn't rescued Yuui out of Fei Wong's warehouse, Ashura would have, since he was already on the way to the scene and the kid just arrived earlier. Fai would have died sooner if the twin stayed in the orphanage because Louie does not have enough money to hospitalize any of the orphans. Things could have gone a lot worse; the twins could have ran away from the orphanage when they learned of Yuui's adoption, and it will not even take a few weeks before Fai dies from starvation and the winter cold.

A glint of silver in the corner of his cabinet catches Kurogane's eyes. It was the dragon necklace. No matter what the witch does, they have one effect in this word that she cannot negate: for a short amount of time, they became a makeshift family for the twins. Fai had some final burst of happiness before he died, and Yuui still has some happy memories with his twin. They were kicked out of the village at such a young age, and maybe they had a happy family life when their parents were still alive, but even that was pretty short lived as well. They were then thrust into an orphanage where they cannot tell anyone about the true nature of their situation. It was a lot direr than his childhood. Hell, at least he had a childhood. For even just a few weeks, the twins became free and happy and secure in the presence of people who understood and did not fear magic. And for someone as sentimental and emotional as the mage, that means a hell lot.

The mage is already finished in packing his belongings and has gathered his old travelling clothes in order to change in the bathroom. Kurogane wonders if he had some makeshift family before the other twin died, but doubts it. He grabs his Nihon suit and changes clothes in the room. When he finishes dressing up, he grabs the silver pendant and wears it underneath his cape.

When he unlocks the door, he sees the mage and the twin standing side by side. Yuui has slightly reddish eyes (he shouldn't be surprised if he sees the princess, the manjuu, and the kid with similar eyes later. Okay, maybe not the kid).

Yuui rushes to hug Kurogane when their eyes meet. It takes the ninja by surprise, and he stands there unsure of what to do for a few seconds before he gives the twin an awkward hug. The twin responds by hugging him tighter. His sobs are muffled, but he manages to speak in between.

"Thank you for everything."

Kurogane gives a little scowl. "It was my job, and I pretty much failed." One of his subjects died while under his care, while another was taken away from him and went through gods-know-what. He never fucked up in his job this bad before. But in the end, it became more than a job for him, and Yuui knows that. He ruffles the younger twin's hair. He wants to say sorry, but ruffling the hair of the younger twin was all he could do.

"It wasn't your fault he died." But Kurogane knows that he could have done better. He could have started searching for Yuui as soon as Louie told him that they couldn't contact Fei Wong. Heck, he trusted the primary caretaker too much. He should not have taken a second job, but instead searched for Yuui. He shouldn't have reported the twins back to Louie. Damn it, it seemed the most logical option during that time.

Kurogane remembers the older twin's message before dying: Tell Yuui it isn't his fault. And looking at the younger twin sobbing almost hysterically, he was almost sure that Yuui is feeling exactly the opposite of what his twin wished.

"Neither is it yours." Yuui doesn't show any visible reaction that he does not agree, but Kurogane does not take any chances. "Remember that it's not your fault that your twin died."

But whose fault was it? _Hitsuzen_? He still does not accept this whole hitsuzen thing. As far as he was concerned, you make your own future based on your own choices, and his perception on that will never change.

What changed, though, was his evaluation of his strength and wisdom. He always believed he was pretty strong and wise, and he proved it quite a number of times before this world. What this world proved is that he is not invincible, nor can he protect everyone he cares for, all the time. The dragon necklace he is wearing will forever remind him of the time he failed, with monumental consequences. It will also remind him of the time when he was given a glimpse to what is really behind the mage's mask, and a chance to prevent one potential mage from being as emotionally fucked up as their mage. He'd like to think he did better on that one.

Yuui finally calms down enough to stop sobbing. He gives a last smile at Kurogane before going inside their bedroom and dragging the ninja's and the mage's baggage. The ninja tries to get it from him, but he insists. He ends up dragging both bags down the stairs, with the ninja and the mage hovering just behind him.

The princess, the kid, and the manjuu finally go downstairs, and true to Kurogane's prediction, the princess' eyelids are swollen. The princess almost tears up again when she sees Yuui, but she manages to keep it under control. They say their final goodbyes to Yuui (and to Ashura, though not as warmly as with the younger twin). Ashura tells them that he'll just tell their previous employers (namely Louie, the hotel management and the restaurant manager) that they already moved to another place. He even gives them some diamonds and jewelries in exchange for their measly savings.

After they finalize everything, the manjuu's magic starts swirling around them; it was time to leave the world. Kurogane cannot help but stare at the mage. This world revealed so much about him, a lot more than he would have allowed. It spoke volumes about his past, his fears, and his motivations. Kurogane senses, scrap that, _knows_ that he is probably hiding more. After all, why would he fear and run away from the very person who kept him and supported him after he lost his family?

The mage probably felt Kurogane's stare, because their gazes meet. This time, he does not bother try to smile at all. He was just tired and wanted to leave the world as soon as possible, and he does not bother to hide it. Kurogane does not mind. What he witnessed in this world was enough to mentally scar anyone, and it does leave him wondering what more the mage had to go through just to be as fucked up as he is.

It also leaves him to wonder what he should do to coax the mage out of his mask.

The manjuu's swirls completely swallow them, and they arrive in the next world.

NOTES:

Yes, I killed Fai. I'm a monster.

And because I was so productive, we have a double update! Just kidding. To be honest, the last chapter was written long before chapter 8 was even started, that's why we have a seemingly double update.

I'd like to apologize for the long wait, but I think all of you are perfectly aware of my unbelievably long update time and were willing to wait (hence the reason why you are actually still reading this when you could have proceeded to the last chapter), so I'm assuming I'm forgiven (please O3O *puppy eyes*). And well, honestly, this is the saddest chapter so far, and I don't like writing too much seeping angst. I'm ranting. Please excuse me and continue to the last chapter.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

He wants to run far away fast.

He is seriously considering getting away from his travel group. But it is his only means of traveling from one world to another without using his own magic, and staying put in one world is not an option, especially after he used his magic in vain. So, at least for the meantime, he will just have to bear staying in one place with an observant ninja who knows way too much (who now knows his real name, for the love of!), two clones who have noticed that something is going on, and an empathic magical creation whose normally cheerful, talkative stature dampens whenever he is around. It is... disconcerting. They should have never known, and they should never have cared this much.

After looking for a feather in this new world and finding that there is none, they decided to take a break _from what happened in the last world_, as Syaoran says. God, if that isn't enough proof that he should be going by now, he didn't know what it was. He didn't quite dare ask Syaoran what the clone knows or hypothesize of him. But ever since the world with the twins, the princess is somehow gentler to him than she usually is, if you ever think that it is still possible. Syaoran is... somehow, always careful around him, and smiles at him all the time with a little pitying tinge. He didn't like that, and he didn't need it. Mokona always wants to stay with him and snuggle against him. _And don't even let me start about Kurogane and his piercing stares, _he thinks bitterly.

He just needs to get away, even just for a while.

He is just wandering around, really. This current world is almost similar to the previous world, except the people are dark-haired instead of blonde or brown-haired and look more like Kurogane than him. It probably means that he should relax a bit since finding versions of him and his Fai is almost nil, but the last world taught him prudence. So his current goal is to get away from his traveling companions while looking for a version of him or his twin. The moment he sees one, he'll drag them out of here. _But what else do I have left to hide?_ He thought, then shakes the idea off. Still quite a lot, actually. If there is a Yuui here who is running away from a powerful person who wants to be killed, or maybe a Yuui acting as a spy on his current companions, _or _a Yuui who is convicted of homicide because he killed his twin, he is doomed.

After a few hours of walking around and finding not a single head of blonde, he finds himself quite lost. It probably is subconscious, this wish to not be able to go back to his companions, but he has to go back because they agreed to meet up at the place where they arrived when it gets dark in order to find a place to stay for the night, and the sun is currently way past its zenith.

He pauses and observes his surroundings. There are gray buildings around him, and they pretty much look like the same. Not good. He is standing on a sidewalk with many people passing by him, and there are cars honking on the road, all hot and angry and noisy because they're stuck and can't get past. He tries to retrace his steps, but is quite unable to deal with the heat, the noise, and the constant shoving he gets from the crowd who is rushing to get from one place to another. Deciding to get a little rest before he tries to get back to his group, he enters one of the buildings whose walls are made of glass.

The place is cool for a start. This is the kind of place where they got their goods in the middle of the night in the previous world: chocolates when they can still afford it, and instant noodles or canned goods after Fai got hospitalized. It was sort of okay to stay in these kinds of places without arousing suspicions, so he takes a seat.

Sitting two chairs away from him is a familiar head of long black curls. The child turns around and he sees a ten year old version of Tomoyo, dressed in a rich Sunday dress made of velvet and silk with silver jewelry, looking like the princess she is and very much out of place in a convenience store. Said version smiles at him. He wonders if this Tomoyo knows about their little traveling group, but after he returns her smile, she goes back to drinking her... drink. He didn't quite know what it is. They sat just like that (Tomoyo ignoring him in favor of her drink, and him discretely staring), until another lady approaches Tomoyo.

"Miss Tomoyo, this is Youou." The lady said. Beside her is a pre-teen with spiky black hair. "Youou, this is Miss Tomoyo. You will be serving her."

He would not have taken any special attention to them anymore, figuring out that Nihon's princess Tomoyo does probably not inform this Tomoyo. In fact, he is about to turn his gaze somewhere else and start thinking about how to go back to their meeting place. But the kid talked, and his voice is just too familiar. "Good afternoon." the kid says.

He jerks his head to the direction of the two and sees a pre-teen version of Kurogane. This version, called Youou, is currently very silent and standing very still.

Tomoyo accepts. She smiles at Youou and shakes his hand. "Nice meeting you."

The lady, contented, walks to the shop's exit. Tomoyo and Youou both look on as the lady goes away, her back facing them.

"I take it that you're new." Tomoyo says. She offers him her drink, "Slushy?"

Youou wrinkles his nose a little and shakes his head. "I'm new, and no, thanks."

"Are you KC?" She asks, after she retrieves her slushy.

"What?" Youou asks, the gruff exterior of his ninja counterpart slowly showing.

"Kiss conscious. If we share a drink we'd have an indirect kiss." Tomoyo smiles happily at him.

"What – how old are _you_?" He jerks away from this world's Tomoyo. "Because I'm fourteen."

"I'm nine. But really, a kiss is like..." she waves her hand in front of her to make the words roll out from her. "...Worldly knowledge. Yes, that's it. There's nothing wrong with knowing what a kiss is. Even mothers kiss their kids."

Youou's face is currently burning red. "Fine." He concedes. He stays a seat away from Tomoyo, just for safe measure.

He finds himself sitting beside Kurogane's counterpart. It is weird, and it is definitely barging in the ninja's past; him knowing that maybe, at some point in Kurogane's life, the ninja's name was Youou. He doesn't want to go barging in the ninja's past, even after Kurogane found out a lot of things about him. It is rude, and there is this saying: _Do unto others what you want to be done unto you_. The next time Kurogane sees a counterpart of him, he wants the ninja to stay clear. So he stands up to leave.

"See Youou, you scare others! Say sorry to him!" Tomoyo says as soon as she notices that he is leaving. The sudden change in her tone is enough to make him pause from his journey to the door.

"What- I didn't do anything!" Youou's lower jaw drops.

"Just say sorry!" Tomoyo demands.

The irritation is evident in Youou's face, but he gives in to his new master anyway. "Sorry, for whatever wrong I've done." Youou looks him in the eye (red sharp eyes, just like Kurogane's) while rubbing the nape.

He blinks. It is... weird, having Kurogane's counterpart apologize to him.

A word had still to leave his lips when Tomoyo speaks again. "As an apology, mister, I give you the honor of giving him a new name."

"What! Why the hell would you give me a new name? And why from him? I don't even know him!"

He had to suppress a laugh; this is insane, ridiculous, and this world's Kurogane has just the same short, explosive temper as the ninja. A weak smile escapes his lips, but it is almost lonely.

"Well, this is like a new life for you, isn't it, after your parents' accidents? Besides, my bodyguards often get new names to hide their real names." Tomoyo's teasing tone fades down to a gentler one.

Okay. He is definitely prying in this Tomoyo and this Kurogane's business. "I'm fine, really. So, please excuse me..."

Tomoyo stands up and rushes to block his exit. "No you're not, sir! He sat at the seat beside you without even knowing you or asking if it is taken, therefore violating your personal space! Please give him a new name."

_That_ is too accurate.

"Wait a minute! There was no one sitting there! _It was vacant_. And this is a public space, why should I ask permission to sit in a public seat?"

"Common courtesy, Youou. You always ask people if it includes sort of violating their personal space." Tomoyo answers smoothly. She pulls him towards his seat. "Please sit here for a while, mister, and help me think of a new name for him."

He is, needless to say, speechless. He stares at the Tomoyo in front of him; scrutinizing her and is on the brink of asking her if she knows another Tomoyo or of events from the last world when Youou speaks.

"I think _you_ are the one scaring him."

"Shush, black. I think something with Kuro will suit you, since you're wearing all-black today." Tomoyo ignore both his stares and Youou's comment. She has a hand on her chin and is in deep thought.

"My parents just died, of course I have to wear black."

"And you're grumpy and have a dark mood literally written on your face. Kuro it is. Kuro-something... Kuroju, since I hear you're proficient with a gun? Do you have anything in mind, Mister?"

He is tempted to suggest Kuro-wan wan just to see this ninja's counterpart's reaction, but he realizes he isn't even in the mood to tease Kurogane, let alone Kurogane's innocent counterpart. So he suggests the ninja's current name. "I think 'Kurogane' fits him."

Tomoyo squeals in delight. "Yay, it fits! Kurogane it is! Thanks a lot, mister!" She claps her hands enthusiastically, therefore letting go of his hand. Youou, now Kurogane, mumbles but protests not so strongly. Maybe he also likes his new name.

Just as Tomoyo is babbling about making now-Kurogane's bodyguard outfit, he slips away.

-END-

Yay! The Orphanage is finally _done_! It took years, but it was really fun writing the mini twins and Kurogane's various jobs and Fai breaking down and Kuro being always there to support him *inhales*. My hardest challenge was well, updating :)), and trying to keep this friendship kurofai as friendly as possible. It's the inner fangirl :3. I hope you all had as much fun as I did. Thanks for all who read and supported the Orphanage all through out its three years of completion.

Thanks a lot, minna! :3


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